Iorveth: A Heart Bound
by Elleodee
Summary: Iorveth, fearless leader of the scoia'tael, had another story on his path. While everyone assumed his love for Saskia, there was another who held his heart and caused his change. Iorveth lovers, give this a read.
1. Chapter 1

_**So just finished the Witcher2 game and cant believe I didnt play it sooner. Iorveth is like my favourite character ever - I liked him so much I have been compelled to write a story about his love life, as we (sadly) never really got a glimpse of him in that regard.**_ _**This is my first go at a fanfic story based on the Witcher 2, detailing a side plot that we never saw. It follows along the in-game story, lightly, however I claim no rights to anything associated with the Witcher, this is just fanfic. I have studied his character intently and tried to imagine what he would say by studying his responses in game. There is some sex in it, of course, but its not all about sex. If you want to skip to the mucky bits, ill list them down the bottom later. **_

_***Also, an important side note - Vanya is pronounced Vahn-ya, with an arrrgh sound. I hate the thought of people calling her Van-ya like, a transit van or something. So when her friend calls her, "Van" - its more like, "Varn"***_

**_*When you see text written in italics, it means they are speaking in their elven tongue - I cant always be bothered to write that.*_**

**_CHAPTER ONE:_**

"You underestimate the forest Vanya. There are beasts lurking around every corner!"

"I do not fear the wild creatures of the forest Naiph, you know that."

"I wasnt reffering to the creatures - I was talking about the scoia'tael." her friend said gravely.

Vanya did not respond. She was an elf, although she tried to keep this to herself on her travels to those she did not trust, using her cloak and hair to diguise her pointed, tell tale ears.

She knew that the increasing battle between human and non-human was becoming worse, and she didnt want to involve herself nor draw unecessary attention. Vanya was of Aen Elle blood, not in any way linked to the scoia'tael, but she knew some of the townspeoples ignorance would hang her if should she put a foot wrong. Her best friend, Naiph, had lost many loved ones on the sword of the scoia'tael - her parents included.

Vanya had moved in with Naiph after they struck up a friendship while travelling together. When Naiph got word of her parents death, and returned to her home town of Flotsam, Vanya had followed, not really sure of her next path. Vanya comforted her friend over the death of her parents, holding her and stroking her hair, as she cried into the night. The days wore on, and the girls formed a sisterly bond. They lived in Naiphs parents old cottage, Naiph welcoming the company -and the help with paying the land fees. Vanya had intended to support her friend for a number of days, then make her way across the Pontar Valley in search of somewhere new. But now, Vanya was stuck here, rumours of a Kayran had put the town on near lock-down. The commandant now stopped pretty much anyone coming in or out of the Town.

Vanya didnt want to stay in Flotsam. It wasnt really safe here for a non-human.

But, Naiph never mentioned Vanyas pointed ears in comparison to her own. Despite the fact the scoia'tael had killed Naiphs parents, she knew they were different to Vanya. Vanya would always be grateful for her friends kindness and a roof over her head.

So, it was for these reasons that Vanya didnt want her friend to know - that she did not fear the scoia'tael - Not even slightly. Of course, many an elf still feared them. They were not above spilling elven blood to further the fight for their cause. Vanya knew the dangers - The political fight alone was spilling blood all over the Pontar valley and Northern Realms.

The scoia'tael were getting more and more brutal, taking everything in their path. But - she just couldnt muster up any fear for them. She felt a connection to her own race, despite the fact they were Aen Seidhe and she was Aen Elle.

They both respected the forest and the land, and this was another reason, she could not fear them. They understood the forest in the same way she did. She would never, ever reveal this to anyone but herself - but in truth, she knew what they were fighting for. The elves were a proud race, strong and true. They did not turn their backs on a promise. The scoia'tael had been betrayed, even by their own people, and still, they fought on. There was something about them she could connect with.

She shifted a little in her seat, her thoughts making her uncomfortable in Naiphs presence, like she was decieving friend just by thinking them.

"I cant stop going into the forest because of fear of the scoia'tael. - She waved her hand dismissivlley, to try and end the conversation - "Need we talk anymore about this? Come, lets finish braiding your hair. David will be in the Inn today, you must stake your claim on him lest he fall into the wrong womans arms!"

Both women laughed, and fell into a comfortable silence, Vanya gently braiding her friends soft, red curls. Naiph worked in the inn, and was deeply in love with one of the local men.

Naiph sighed as she watched her friends hands work deftly in the mirror. Vanya`s beautiful face was deep in concentration as she manipulated the hair into coils.

"You should come with me Van. You must make the effort to meet the local people, it will ease you. They are not as bad as you might think them. The Commdants men are usually in the Garrison, fornicating and drinking with the local women, they will not bother you. Plus, all the men in Flotsam are enamoured with you - you can choose whomever you wish!"

Vanya gave a soft laugh.

"I have no interest in the men of Flotsam. Nor any man really. My heart beats for the forest and the creatures with in it. I sing a different song to you my little Naiph. You know this. I have no desires for romance right now."

Naiph was kind, but also very naive. She didnt see the way the local men looked at Vanya, the lust in their eyes, and the evil smiles. Even the nice ones were bumbling fools, who were either too frightened or too in awe to approach her. And none of them, ever, wanted **just** conversation.

"I know. Its just - Naiph continued and sighed with the injustice of it - your just SO beautiful. Its a waste. I know you think the townspeople to be...different to you, but...i worry about you Van. You seem lonely. Like you dont have any path to follow in life."

The atmosphere had changed and was becoming meloncholy, so Naiph made a joke to turn it around;

"Well, im secretly glad you dont come with me. All the men would look at you and it leave me with none!" - She pouted in mock frustration, and they laughed again.

It would be frankly, a dishonour, to call Vanya simply, beautiful. Her radiance was captivating on a physical level, of course, but her inner beauty beguiled even the blind man. To describe her would be futile with words, but, to allow you to picture her in your minds eye, words will have to suffice. Her hair was long and dark, brushing her ribcage in a straight, shining waterfall. It was the colour of dark toffee, or chocolate, a soft, honeyed brown that even the most skilled artist couldnt recreate on paper. Her eyes, big and crystal-like in their clarity, where a pale azure blue. Her skin was soft and pale, her body lithe and strong but with those unmistakeable curves only a woman can possess, and her lips were full, and pink like the rose. Her hands were slim and soft as butter, and she was more intelligent that any she had come across. Her colouring and facial features were not very common for an elf. She had a fuller face, with soft, creamy skin - the harsh cheekbones of the elven face seemed to ellude her. Her heart was pure, and the blood of the earth, soil and water ran through her.

Her stunning face and flawless skin where part of her heritage of course, but a different beauty touched her face, a radiance that burdened her with constant stares and even worse, many proposals. She had refused the hands of nobles, powerful men, and even some women.

Truthfully, She prefered to be alone, and the attention left her feeling that her beauty, was sometimes a curse.

"There now. All done. " - Vanya flashed a brilliant, white smile at her friend and turned her to face the mirror.

"Oh I LOVE it. Your a wonderful friend Van. So talented! Are you sure I cant tempt you to come to the inn? I kn-" Vanya held up a hand.

"Please, Naiph. I have things I need to attend to today, I must go now. Prehaps another time."

They both knew these to be hollow words. Vanya made to stand and opened the cottage door to leave.

Naiph bit her lip nervously; "Ok, Ok. Just...please - dont go into the forest again. You could stand in a trap or something. I worry about you so much."

Vanya smiled at her friend and brushed a finger across her cheek. They had the same conversation every morning before she set off for the woods.

"I will stay on the edges. Cedric will be there to stop me wandering too far. Go now. Have fun. I shall see you before Dawn."

Vanya pulled her long, thick hair into a ribbon, fastened her cloak and raised the hood. She slid on some nimble brown leather boots, smiled at her friend again, and stepped into the morning air.

As she made her way through the square, she turned away from the empty gallows that hung in the morning sunlight. She shook her head to herself and hoped that they remained empty for as long as possible.

As she walked through Lobinden and into the outer skirts of the forest, she smelled the smells that she loved. Rich, damp, soil - the smell of grass and pine, she could hear water running through the stones in the brook and could feel the town waking for the day. There were very few men on watch at this early hour, several of them sat gathered around a freshly stoked fire and boiled water for their morning meals. Nobody noticed as she walked on by. They watched for trouble, but going out to the woods, was your own choice to make - and very few did.

She noticed Cedric sleeping next to a hollow tree.

This was unusual, even for him. He was a drinker, true, and she understood the reasoning behind it - but he rarely slept in the open like this.

Despite his dependance on vodka, he had always managed to keep his eyes open in the past. She bent down to check his breathing. He was out cold, but fine otherwise. She smiled down at him.

"Heavy night?" she whispered, and proceded to walk past, silently.

Cedric protected her, they were friends. No longing or feelings came from him, he was too tortured with his own demons. He was kind to her, and was the only man in Flotsam she was comfortable around. He knew a lot about the forest and often guided her, showing her where they had placed traps along the forest floor. She humoured him, but in truth, she saw them before he did. Living in forests all your life made you sharp. Cedric had spent too much time in the town of Flotsam, too much time drinking. His senses were not as sharp as hers, but she would never tell him.

He usually walked with her a while, and they talked. Then, he would leave her to gather herbs - but always watching in case she wandered too far. She decided to take advantage of his sleeping state, and venture further.

An hour had past and a hooded and cloaked Vanya was still scouring the forest floor for herbs. She had not been bothered by any monster in here. This was her place, where she could be safe. She breathed a deep connection with the wild things. The rushing of water, the roughness of a tree`s bark. It all spoke to her in a unique language that was as clear to her as her mother tongue. She had never been attacked by any living creature of the forest. Not just in Flotsam, in any of the woodland she had travelled through. Even Nekkers and Endrega did not prove too bothersome. This she could not explain. It just was, as sure as the sun. She popped some berries into her mouth idly as she walked.

Then, she heard a twig crack, and the unmistakable hum of a poised bow string.

She slowly turned behind her, to see 3 men standing, arrows raised.

Her eyes scanned them as quick as you or I would breathe. She took in their green tunics and leather straps. She relaxed some, as she recognised them as the scoia'tael.

She spoke quickly and to the point, yet with a calmness to her voice; "Lower your bows. I am no threat to you."

"Speak your purpose here, or be slain where you stand." - This came from the middle one, his red hair shining like copper in the dappling sunlight. His face was beautiful, as were all the elven race, but it was twisted into an angry scowl.

"You would slay me, for collecting herbs in the forest? Come now. Your cause will not be helped by killing the innocen-"

"What do you know of anything? - he interuppted her and laughed cruelly - Your just a disgusting dohine! You are lucky you havnt already been killed by the creatures that inhabit here. Now, prepare to feel the arr-"

She had taken down her hood and pushed her hair back to revael her pointed, elven ears. All three men lowered their bows immediatley. They looked astonished. One could always tell ones own kin. But she had completely shocked them. It could have been her human like curves, or her pretty round eyes, or her plump, pink lips. As mentioned before, her features were not typical of an elven womans face, which although beautiful, could be pointed and sometimes harsh.

"_Gods woman!_ - The middle elf hissed in a furious whisper, using the elven language as he stepped towards her - "Why didnt you reveal yourself to us!? I almost spilled your blood on this forest floor!"

Vanya eyed the 3 elves coldly and spoke back to them, her elvish flawless; _"Tell me, what would you hope to gain from this mindless killing?"_

The elf on the right stood forward, looking almost ashamed. _"Forgive us, but we have to be vigilant in the forests. We have lost many men here. There is little time for talking and weighing up the consequences of slaying your foes._"

"_So you would have slain one of your own kind out of pure ferocity, with no ryhme nor reason!_" - Vanya was angry, but not at the men for pointing the arrows at her, but for the sheer magnitude of their own hate. She could feel it radiating off them in waves. It made her very sad.

She knew much of their leader, Iorveth. She had never met him, but had seen the posters about town, and had heard many stories, both on her travels and from the townsfolk. She was curious about him, as was everyone. He was the fearless leader of the scoia'tael. She had heard from humans that his cruelty knew no bounds when it came to protecting his race and his fight for equality. She had heard terrible stories of the things he had done, but also noble ones. One thing that every story had in common, was that he was fearless, ruthless, and cunning.

The elf in the middle eyed her curiously. He spoke in english now; "Tell me, why do you hide your ears like you are ashamed to be of the elven race?"

She was caught short by this question and her blue eyes flicked to his own. His breath caught, she really was a beauty to behold. He hadnt noticed before when he had considered her a dohine, but now, there was no escaping it. He felt it in his chest, and he clenched his fists.

She laughed a lilting, bored laugh. "Do you think I stand here tricking you? That I have, begged a sorceress to make my ears grow?" - she changed her tone to a softer, more calming voice. She could see she was antagonising him and knew she had to be careful. Elf or not, they could still kill her with a flick of their wrist. She sighed and explained; "I live in the town. They slay us for so much as kicking a stone in the wrong direction. There are many elven women among them but for some reason I get a...special..kind of ...attention. I try to keep to myself."

_"I can see why" -_ said the elf on the left, as he stared at her. He had a look of a lovesick puppy.

Vanya tried not to smile. Elven warriors they may be, but they still had hot male blood running through them.

The elf on the right spoke, addressing the middle one;

_"We could use her. Malena has not been seen for many days. She could be useful as a spy in the villiage"_

She didnt respond.

She waited to see what they would do.

They all stared at her.

It was almost as if they didnt know what to do next. The middle one shuffled a little on his feet and she thought he might raise his bow again. She rubbed a finger across her bottom lip softly as she considered a thought in her mind. Here in front of her, were 3 warriors of the scoia'tael.

Would she ever be in this position again? For a reason she couldnt explain, her mouth formed words before she had a chance to consider what she was saying;

_"Will you...take me.. to Iorveth?" _

She thought they may laugh at her, but instead the middle one asked, quickly and bluntly;

_"Why?"_

She didnt really know why. She just wanted to meet him. She had been told before, that she was sometimes too curious for her own good. A curious mind could get you into trouble, hence why she kept her head down and her hood up around the townsfolk.

_"I want to meet him. I can...prehaps... help. Maybe, I could spy for you_."

The middle one gave a slow nod, considering this. They turned to each other and began to discuss;

"_Do we take her to the hideout?"_

_"No! - Iorveth would have our heads! We leave her here."_

_"Why dont we bring him to her?"_

_"And, what, if she runs? We will have brought him out into the forest on a goosechase!"_

_"I say we take her to him. She asked for it. If he doesnt want to see her, we just take her back. We cover her eyes, so she cant see the way."_

_"Good plan Jarrod. Get some cloth"_

Although her face didnt betray her, inside her heart started to beat fast and strong. Why had she said that? She was curious about him, yes. She wanted to question him, but to offer to spy for the scoia'tael?! She would never really do it of course. For one thing, her best friend would never forgive her. The 3 men looked at one another, making a silent agreement between them. They nodded to each other. It was almost like they were saying;

"All in agreement. If he gets angry, we take it together."

This made Vanya even more nervous. She was still in danger. But it was too late to change her mind. The middle elf removed a peice of green cloth from one of his belt straps, and stepped toward her.

She closed her eyes, and he tied it around her face, quickly, and tightly;

"Do you see anything?" he said.

"No." She said, truthfully.

Her eyes were still closed behind the cloth.

He took a knife and pretended to strike her heart. She didnt flinch. He nodded to himself. She couldnt see a thing.

"Im going to bind your hands. So we can lead you." he said to her, more of a statement than a request.

She held out her wrists and felt him tie them together with something soft, like silk. It wasnt tight, and she allowed him to pull her along a little.

Finally, the 3 warriors walked forward, and began to silently lead the way.


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER 2**_

As the three men lead the way, she walked briskly, keeping their pace. She could see nothing, she had no clue where she was.

Her heart was beating in anticipation of what she had just done. She was about to meet the leader of the scoia'tael.

What would he say when she revealed to him she was Aen Elle?

Would he be respectful despite the two races having no relationship? Or would he think her a burden and cut her down like a sapling tree?

These questions whirled in her mind, and she was suprised to feel this fear. But, as they began to decend into a dark, stone cave, she relaxed a little.

This man fought for the elves. He wouldnt kill one for nothing. She touched the cool stone walls to guide her as she walked, and could smell moss, and hear the water. Despite the fact she couldnt see anything, she could sense it was becoming darker now, she could here fire, mounted on the walls, lighting their way. She could hear movement as she passed by, sense the elves watching her as the three men lead her past. She tried to steady her heartbeat.

One of the elves leading her said: "Not what our fearless leader deserves as his quarters, but alas, we do not care for material things. We go where we are needed, and live off the earth" - as if to defend the less than luxuirous surroundings.

Vanya knew that the elves had to scavenge and take what they could from the forests, which was hard for them, considering they had once had cities under their command. Times were very trying, but this only helped to fan the flames of their hatred. They desended downward, and it became colder. Vanya pulled her cloak around her tightly. Finally, they stopped. All was silent.

She swallowed, wondering what was going to happen.

Then, Vanya heard confident, striding footsteps, the jingle of belts, - she felt someone standing in front of her, tall and strong. And she knew. She could feel his presence. She felt one of them remove her wrist bindings, and then, the cloth was removed from her eyes. She blinked a little, getting used to the darkness. She was facing his chest. She steadied herself, then looked up, to see Iorveth, leader of the scoia'tael - one hand on his hip, the other at his side, staring down at her.

He looked tall, confident, and his face gave away nothing.

She stared at him. And he down at her.

Finally, he spoke.

"_Why do you bring her to our hideout?" _He addressed his men, but his eyes didnt leave her own.

"_She asked us to. She might be able to help us." _the middle elf began to explain.

_"You would bring anyone here who asked?" - _this statement was uttered with a tone that Vanya couldnt place. Amused? Angry? She couldnt tell.

Their gaze still had not broken. Her blue eyes stared intently into his green one. It was tinged with brown and gold. She traced the scar on his face with her eyes, noticing the crimson headscarf that he secured with a brown leather belt over his other eye. She wondered what happened to his face. He didnt seem to mind her eyes roaming over it. She took in his build, his sharp, straight nose, his lips. His face was perfectly contoured, cheekbones high and proud, as if he had been chipped from stone. Pure elf. He was a lot more handsome than the posters in Flotsam portrayed. She couldnt stop staring at his face. Despite its scarring - he was a sight to behold. Attraction? Possibly. These feelings were new.

She put her nerves down to his sheer power, his commanding presence. She could sense intense pain coming from him. Both on the outside - and the inside.

_"You have injured yourself?" _she said, cocking her head to the side.

_"No." - _Still his gaze had not broken from her eyes. He had an almost sarcastic tone about him, a teasing way that made her feel stupid.

_"No? You lie. I can feel it. Your arm? No...your..shoulder. I can help you." _Aside from everything else, Vanya was an empath, and she was a good healer too.

He broke her gaze and nodded once to the men who stood behind her. This was an order for them to leave.

His gaze returned on her. She licked her lips and calmed herself.

_"Who are you? And why do you come here?"_ Iorveth eyed her, roaming his eyes over her body, almost suspiciously.

_"Your fellow scoia'tael back there nearly killed me in the forest. I wanted to meet their fearless leader whom rules with an iron fist so strong they would kill an innocent woman, dohine or otherwise."_

Iorveth switched to english; "Nobody is innocent in this. There is a price to pay for all. Our cause is to be swift and brutal. It is the only way. Death is part of war. Now, answer what you are asked. Why did you request to meet with me? In case you havent noticed, I dont have time for idle chatter" - there was that sarcastic tone again.

He almost seemed bored to be speaking with her and it annoyed her a little. She sat down on a large stone. She twisted her hair around a her finger, and considered what to say. She guessed she didnt have much of his time. So, she decidede to be honest.

"We are kin. I suppose... I cannot lie. I was curious to see who is behind all the stories of blood, violence and anger. I thought I could maybe...help out in some way. Now I have met you, I can see a deep sadness. You are also injured. Your shoulder. You should let me help you."

Iorveth gave her a look a teacher gives a student who cannot complete their sums; "You know nothing. You hear stories recanted by human scum, tales that are a mere fraction of the whole truth. You live among that _filth_ in the village that houses dohine, that kill your fellow kin" - He suddenly stopped himself before he began a full tirade - "If you came for a story - you will leave dissapointed. I will have my warriors escort you back to where you came from."

She was more than a little suprised. She had thought he might indulge her, maybe talk awhile. She was Aen Elle, one of the few. Wasnt he curious about her? Why didnt he seem to want her presence around him like every other man she had ever known? She wanted to stay near to him. She didnt want to go home yet. Suddenly the thought of returning to her cottage and boiling water for potatoes seemed droll and depressing.

She wanted to hear this mans stories and she ached for him to recognise her beauty. She was more than a little shocked at her thoughts. She usually went out of her way to prevent men from looking at her, and yet, she craved the attention now.

One side of her brain was arguing with the other;

-Go home you silly woman, this man is not borne from the same blood as you! He has hate in his heart!

-No! He is good and strong and true! He fights for a cause and is unweavering in his loyalty!

She decided to try and draw out their time together. She tried a new tact;

"No hospitality for me?" she said, teasing slightly. She felt slightly embarassed about lowering herself to this common flirtation. She neednt have been, as the joke was lost on Iorveth.

"No. As you can see, our surroundings are less than desirable. We live in caves like Nekkar scum, we forage, we survive. We dont have time to entertain - unfortunatley for us." His face remained impassive.

Vanya felt a more than little offended, and she was upset that his hatred for the world and his circumstances, had marred him, not just on his face, but in his heart. She stood to leave, severly underwhelmed by the meet.

He was courteous she supposed, more than the townspeople would have you think. He spoke while looking in her eyes, he made no move to harm her - or even leer at her. But his disinterest in her was galling. She seemed to want his respect, but she didnt know why.

"Let me heal your shoulder. It will worsen if you leave it unattended. And i suspect you have no healers here."

He eyed her suspiciously. He wanted to refute her, and yet, he _was_ in a little pain. Just a quick blow to the shoulder during a night fight, but he didnt have time to let it heal the proper way. "Do you work fast?" he said, as if he were talking to a imbecile.

"Of course" she snapped back, barely holding her tongue, and she removed and began to open her satchel. She removed a small silver dagger, one which she used to scrape bark and break the hard casings of certain seeds.

He shot to his feet, and before Vanya could explain, the dagger scittered across the floor and his leatherbound foot was on her arm in seconds, pinning it to the floor. She cried out, a whimper more than anything, as pain shot through her arm. In another lightning moment, Iorveth seemed to realise his mistake, and swiftly removed his foot.

He stared down at her, not knowing quite what to do next. She looked up into his eye, her own swimming with blue tears. She blinked them back.

"I..apologise. You are the first elf to ever come to my hideout who is not of the scoia'tael. Im...on my guard. Are.. you badly hurt?" - he said this in a sullen-like tone, like the words were foreign on his tongue. Vanya guessed he had not apologised for anything in a very, very long time.

"I do not cry because you hurt me" She said, irritated. She wasnt some milk maid who couldnt hold her own tears - "I am sad because you trust no-one. Not even your own kin, whom you fight for. I am no enemy to you. Everything is not a battle, Iorveth."

He seemed shocked when she said his name. His eye, which had been looking down at her arm, flicked to her face in a heartbeat. He felt a sense of sorrow for hurting her. It seemed that as time went by, he was less and less in control of the blade of his sword or the flick of his bow.

He had noticed her beauty of course he had, but he had thought, by now, he was immune to such things. It had been a long time since he had lain with anyone. He had lovers before, of course, plenty. But - his lust and desire for others waned with every weild of his sword. He had focused himself on his fight for so long, that now - well - he didnt even notice beauty anymore. But he noticed hers. Those eyes. He helped her to her feet, feeling her small arms in his hands, as gentle as a birds wing. Her soft, jasmine scented hair brushed against his cheek and he felt himself stir inside. Something he had long put to sleep was waking up, and it unnerved him. He didnt need distractions now. Too much depended on him. His men, the cause, the scoitel. It didnt leave time for folly or fancy. She needed to go.

"Go now. My men will make sure you are returned safely." he said to her, but his voice was more gentle this time.

"But...I want to help."

He crossed his arms.

"And what, exactley, do you propose you do here? How do I know your not a spy for the commandant?" He muttered a curse in elven, but she knew it was aimed at the commandant, not at her.

She liked the feeling of his body near to hers. It made her feel...Safe? She scrabbled in her mind for something to say. Her usual sharp wit and intelligence seemed to desert her. The three elves from before came in, now with a fourth.

She attempted to draw out their conversation, defend herself, explain. But Iorveth had already addressed the men; _"Take her back. Ensure her eyes are covered. Our business is done."_ And with that, he turned, and walked away.

He was gone, around a corner, before she could protest. She hadnt even fixed his shoulder. She felt cheated, her arm was throbbing and sore, and there was much she still wanted to ask him. But he had made himself clear.

She let the others lead her back to the forest. They were silent along the way. What Vanya couldnt know, was that they ached to know what she had discussed with Iorveth. They were relieved Iorveth hadnt seemed to be too angry about her unannounced visit.

They trudged ahead with their bows drawn, making their way through the trees at a pace that human feet could not match. They took her as far as they could, then removed her blindfold, and turned and walked away, with not a word spoken.

She began to walk back through the forest towards home, sullen, suprised, and confused. Her mind was racing with questions and she kept thinking of things she could have said to him. What she should have said. What do you think it would take to make a man like that respect you? She mused. Death? She bit her lip. She knew she could never be like the warrior women of the scoia'tael, killing innocents and spilling blood on Iorveths command. She was a purist elf, she didnt raise a bow to a living thing. She knew if she picked one up it would be like an old friend in her arms, elves were built to hold a bow and arrow. But her lack of practice and skills would make it impossible for her to - Stop it Vanya! Why are you even thinking this?

It was turning to afternoon as she made her way through Lobinden. Cedric was nowhere to be seen. She hoped he wasnt looking for her.

She knew Naiph would still be working, and she supposed she should go and see her friend, pay her a visit and chat while she wiped down tables and spills.

But she couldnt bear the idle chit chat that came from every man who passed her. Watching her lovely friend wipe beer away from tables and avoid groping hands up her skirts. She shuddered and decided against it. She opened her door to the cottage, and lay down on the bed.

She could here the sounds of the villiage bustling outside, doors shutting, children playing, merchants calling. She turned over, roughly.

Not tired, not hungry, not thirsty. But something. What? She felt unsatisfied.. and.. curious.

Her arm burned underneath her, and she lifted her sleeve. She gasped when she saw the mark he had left. A perfect purple bruise was forming.

She shook her head in disbelief. She still couldnt belive he had hurt her. The speed in which he reacted to her dagger was incredible. Faster than thought. Incredible yes, but dangerous. She was the same race for goodness sake. She didnt even want to think what her fate would have been had she been a human. She wouldnt have even got as far as the hideout, she knew. She knew she was lucky to have been there. The men had taken her there, because they thought she might be able to help in some way. So why had Iorveth refused her?

She would have to make an ointment from bruiseweed. She chided herself, she hadnt gathered much today. Too busy poking her nose where it didnt belong, she thought. She reached for her satchel, and realised she was no longer wearing it.

She had left it in Iorveths hideout!

A tiny smile briefly danced across her face. She would maybe see him again after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Iorveth sat alone in the hideout, twirling his flute in his hands, thinking.

Lethlo would be sending word soon on the next part of the plan. He was considering several options for ambush using his warriors as a decoy. He slid his flute into his belt, and marked a few lines in the dirt with his foot, his mind going through formations that would prove useful in the next attack. He was formulating a plan in his mind, his thoughts racing, when he caught sight of her brown satchel, still laying where she had left it. He could see it out of the corner of his eye.  
Her face came into his head. Why had he hurt her? Was he that suspicious of even one of his own? And what if he had come across her, and thought her just a dohine? Would she be lying dead in front of him - even with that face? He didnt know. Her eyes...

He walked over to her bag, picked it up, and tipped it upside down, its contents spilling to the floor. 3 empty vials smashed on the stone. He poked through the contents with his foot. Twine, herbs, bark, other healers bit and peices. A sliver dagger, which looked expensive. He reached down to pocket it, and saw a blue ribbon, curled amongst the glass.

He picked it up, and ran it over his knuckles like a grass snake. He lifted it to his face and could smell the jasmine that scented her hair. His mind started to wander. He crossed his arms. He had been lately feeling that this fight was amounting to nothing but death and destruction. How many nights had his men gone hungry? How much blood had he spilled of his own race? The thought that everything they had done was for nought made his heart grip as if it were locked in a vice. He pushed it from his mind. He would be meeting with some allies tommorrow to dicuss these matters. He hoped that Saskia, an ally he had in Verden, would be able to facilitate what they had discussed at their last meeting. He trusted her. She wasnt an ordinary dohine, she understood, everything. She commanded her men in a similar way to him. Passion, Victory, death. She knew of his fight, knew of the betrayals they had faced in years gone by.

He knew what people thought, what people said. So much fighting for his race, his kind, a pure ideal - then he forms alliance with a human! But she was the closest thing he had to obtaining a victory. His people depended on him, they fought for him. He knew that they thought him in love with her. To be truthful, he had considered it. A union with a woman who had bravery and stealth to rival his own. But a human woman? He was too busy to consider such things now. They were on the precipice of a cliff edge, one wrong step and they could fall.

Truthfully? He was tired. He was a young elf - obviously living centuries longer than the humans, but young for an elf. He felt the burden of his leadership weigh down on him every day. He hated seeing his elven comrades living in slums, desperate for food. He wanted to give them what they deserved. And now, he had seemed to join forces with Lethlo. He didnt trust him, not in the least, but he was useful enough, for now. They would help each other in persuit of a common goal.

He rubbed his chin with a hand and gave a sigh.

He continued to poke through her belongings with his foot, then, he kicked her possesions to the side, clearing a space on the floor. He hadnt actually considered that she may want her things back. He was about to raise the ribbon to his face again, when he heard several footsteps decending down the mouth of the cave.

"_Iorveth! A boat approaches from the west! It flies the blue stripes of Foltrest_!" - one of his men, Celtis, called down.

He sprung to action, had he heard that right? _Roche._

"_Gather your bows, we meet them head on!" _He yeld back, swinging his bow over his shoulder and starting into a run.

He dropped the ribbon to the floor, and trampled it into the dirt as he ran out of the mouth of the cave.

Vanya had been wandering through the forest for a while now. She had been picking her herbs and doing some little jobs along the way, but really, she was waiting for the scoia'tael.

She couldnt actually sense them, or see them in the trees above, watching her. It was like they had dissapeared. She knew this to be untrue of course, as they always had an eye on the happenings of the forest. Always. She had lived in Flotsam for only a short time, but she had gone the furthest she had ever been yesterday, and sure enough, that was when she had come upon the scoia'tael.

She pushed on walking, trying to remember her path from yesterday. She began to feel foolish, hanging around here for all this time. She would pretend of course, that it was all for the satchel, or the dagger. She would say they were precious and she needed them back. What if they returned them to her without Iorveth? Wasnt he who she wanted to see most of all. Why? Because he was familiar and he made her heart beat? She shooke her head to herself. Why was she trying to lie to herself? His face had burned in her mind all night, and when she awoke, she was hot and frustrated.

She could have cried with it.

Naiph could sense her displeasure and was concerned.

"Whats wrong Van'? Are you ill?"

Vanya, obviously, hadnt told her friend what was troubling her. She could never share with her friend that she had even been in Iroveths presence. Naiph was kind to Vanya, and trusted her. To know she was fraternising with the scoia'tael? That would be a step too far. It wasnt just the thought of hurting her friend she had to consider. She had to be practical too. She knew if her friend found out, she would ask her to leave the house they shared. With the Kayran still stopping all access in and out of Flotsam, she would be forced to rent a room at the inn, or worse. If one of her suitors spotted her out alone, at night? She shuddered. No, she would keep quiet.

She had mustered up a lie for her friend;

"I must have picked up a fever along with my herbs. Ill collect some barleyroot and i`ll be fine in an hour or so"

Naiph had kindly offered to get her some fresh bread and warm lemon tea from the inn. Vanya had smiled and accepted the offer, but snuck out when Naiph left the cottage, feeling the worst kind of guilty. But she couldnt do it any other way. If she sat and wasted time drinking the tea and eating the bread, she might lose her nerve. Plus, the more time she spent with Naiph the harder it was for her to justify her means.

The day they returned to the town to bury Naiphs parents, she had held her limp body in her arms and soothed her wracking sobs. Now, she was pruposefully trying to get the attentions of the person responsible. She hated herself for it. But, she couldnt deny herself either. Something was telling her to go back to him. She was drawn to this man, but she had never had these feelings before, for anyone. She had never even considered that she _could_ have these feelings. Her lover was the forest, the land - and she had never wanted anything more. Until Iorveth. It wasnt his outer beauty that attracted her, though she could see his handsome face despite the scar that marred him. It was his inner strength. She felt his feirce loyalty to his men, his people, loyal like a lion. Something about him made her want to be around his presence. She ached for his respect...among other things. She wanted to know him, to show him light.

She had started towards the forest, her heart beating at the thought of seeing him again.

Cedric was stood at the top of the large lookout post, peering into his spyglass, scanning the wood. She bit her lip nervously. What would she say? He would make it difficult for her to go deep into the forest like she needed to. He would want to know why she was going there.

She couldnt even pretend she needed a rare herb, he knew where they all grew close by. She had never spoken to him of Iorveth...would he sense it? She decided to evade him. She took a right, and moved close to the walls of the garrison, moving at elven quick speed, head bowed, hood raised. She expected to hear a call behind her, but none came. She pushed through some thicket, and turned a sharp right, using the trees to hide her form.

She was lucky that her cloak was green, and that Cedric, was probably a little drunk.

He didnt spot her. She pushed on, through a clearing, past what looked like a desicrated nekker nest (she silently thanked whoever had grapebombed it) and finally, she was in the clear.

She relaxed her pace, and began wandering, until she came by some water. She sat down. She knew that, if she realy wanted to, she might be able to close her eyes and roughly track the approximate location the cave from yesterday. She bit her lip. Bad idea Vanya. She didnt want to invade that space without invitation. Besides, what if they became angry at knowledge of the hideout? What if they hurt her? Killed her? Iorveth had said as much yesterday that he didnt trust her.

No, she would wander and wait for them to come to her.

As he and his men made their way back into the depths of the forest, Iorveth was cursing and raging the entire time. His mood was black. They had evaded his men and he wanted blood. Roche. That disgusting excuse of a human had thrown a knife to him! In his own forest! He should have killed him without a thought.

His wounded men were carried into the cave, and were being tended to by one of the dwarves in their ranks that knew some healing. Iorveth had no time for dwarves, but this one had proven loyal over the span of months, and, as Vanya had pointed out, he was the closest thing they had to a healer.

"Make a fire Elias, or shall we all freeze to death?" - he barked at one of his men.

They began to move inside the cave, his men running ahead to start stoking a fire and tending the wounded. He stalked away, further down the stone walled tunnels, until he came to his own space. Then when he was alone, he took a deep breath, and steeled himself. He had lost a few great archers. Some of them burned under the witchers fire, some of them struck by the sword. Had they not had the luck to be sheilded by the sorceress they would all be lying dead. Their cowardice knew no bounds.

He lay down. He thought about what the witcher had said. They were reduced to hiding in the forest. Did it make him crueler as a result? Probably. But needs must. He put his hands behind his head.

He must have fallen asleep for a moment, because he was awoken by one of his men.

_"You have...a...visitor"_ Iorveth sprang up. He was still angry from the days earlier events.

"_Who? Lethlo?"_

"_No. The girl from yesterday. We found her near the ruins - dont worry, we covered her eyes and walked her about the forest to throw her off track, before we brought her here. She wants her things back. Iorveth, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but - you need to get rid of her. Stop her coming here. It is a danger that she has even been here. What if she were to locate our hideout on her own? Show one of her dohine friends? Shes made it clear she can survive walking through the forest, how she hasnt been killed by Nekker alone, I do not know. She is not one of us...she lives in the town! She doesnt care for the cause, or understand it_." - he reddend slightly, embarassed under Iorveths intense stare.

He coughed, gathering courage, then said awkwardly in English; "Shes...distracting.. some of the other men, her presence...well, its taking their ..eye.. off the tasks at hand."

Iorveth gave a snort; "Have they not seen a woman before!? Do we not have beautiful elven women wandering amongst us every day? You suprise me Elias, your leadership is tougher than my own if you would keep a red blooded man from his most basic instincts, and stop him lying with a woman!" - He sat down again - "Let your men plough if they wish. We are not panting dohine dogs, chasing whores and begging for tail, I give you that - but we are still strong elven men who need to feel what we are fighting for."

He paused - "that said...This particular Aen Elle is not known to us. Have your fun with our own women - if you can catch them" he quipped.

Then added; "She will not be the object of their desires though. I will deal with her."

Both men walked out, and talked of the earlier incident, of Roache. When they made their way up to the upper level of the cave, Vanya sat, waiting, eyes covered.

As she sat there, she wasnt sure wether she was brave or incredibly stupid. She was pushing her luck, coming here again, she knew.

She was considering how to proceed with him, when she felt him appear in front of her, as before.

She hadnt even heard him approach!

Her breath caught and she breathed him in. She could actually smell the trees, and also, the faint tang of blood.

She removed her own blindfold. She noticed blood was on his chest plate.

"Your hurt? Where?"

"That seems to be all you can manage to say when your brought in front of me, doesnt it?" he said.

She coloured remembering the last time she had spoken to him, she had said more or less the same thing.

"Your name?" - he commanded, still eyeing her over.

"Its..Vanya."

"Hmmm. Vanya means...beautiful ...in your mother tongue, does it not?"

"Yes." she said. She liked the way he said her name.

Iorveth didnt know how to exchange pleasantries or... flirt. He had dedicated his time to battle planning, ambushing, cunning plans and polotics, the scoia'tael, his men...he had probably not had a light conversation in...she didnt know how long. She knew him to be very clever, she had heard from townsfolk that he could talk the birds from the trees and persuade them to fight with their wings using just his raw passion. He had the words...just... not for her it seemed.

She smiled to herself, thinking that he was akin to one of her favourite nuts in the forest, tough to open, but wonderful when you got inside.

At least, she hoped. She hoped that she could try to break him open. Sometimes you found a nut that had hardened all the way through in the morning sun, with no hope of yeilding its soft inside.

She smiled at him, a light, nervous smile. This time, she would make him talk to her. Properly. Elf to Elf.

She decided, to be honest. She wasnt a silly girl, she was intelligent. She was past harm, she concluded. Surely he would have killed her by now if he had wanted to.

They were alone now, the other man having left silently.

"I came for my things. And...I came to see you again. I wasnt satisfied with the way our... talk... ended"

He didint look suprised. He actually gave her the closest thing she had seen to a smile. He seemed, amused.

He said; _"You have a strong nerve to come into the lions den twice, Aen Elle. But, I am also, glad to see you again. I dont like unfinished business. I must have left my manners in battle when we last met. I hurt you.. it was.. not ..warranted." - _He folded his arms and straightened his back. He really hated apologising.

Then said, in english;_ "_I behaved like a common dohine, using force instead of cunning - there is no courage in that. I know when I have done wrong, and although I will never take back an arrow - in this case...I..misjudged the situation. I would have a favour to ask you_._"

She was intrigued. "I accept your apology. When all you face is fighting, you probably dont take well to plain kindness...What is the favour?"

He nodded once, and motioned with his head for her to follow him, and she did. She got the feeling she would have followed him to a Nekkers den if he had asked it of her. They began to descend down the twisting rock walls as he explained; "Some of my men were injured today on the sands by the border to the town. They had the misfortune of meeting some of Foltrest's... finest" - he spat the word "finest" nastily, as an insult.

He continued; "I need them healing. If...you would be so kind." - He was warming up a little with his words, and she was enjoying hearing the tone of his voice, without an angry twist to it.

"Of course, but..i have no things with me...my satchel is -"

"Otherwise indisposed..you wont be getting it back" - He shrugged in a "whatchagonnado" way.

"How was it destroyed?" she said in in a mocking tone. She wasnt really angry, they both knew it.

Before he could answer her, they rounded the corner to find some archers, lying on makeshift beds on the ground. She was not too suprised to see a dwarf tending them. Dwarfs are not natural born healers, in fact, a boar would do a better job, but he was doing his best.

Their eyes locked and she recognised him as one of the dwarves from the villiage. She had passed him a few times in the square. He gave a small nod to her and they made an agreement with their eyes:

"Tell no-one. we dont know each other - before or after this day."

She nodded to Iorveth, and knelt beside the first man, checked what meagre supplies they had to work with, and got to it.

After a few hours, she had done all that she could. They ones who were not lying dead on the road outside Flotsam, would all survive. She had cleaned her hands in a pool of water that gathered in a bowl of rock at the bottom of the cave. She splashed her face and neck, and took a long drink. She had done well with the supplies she had.

She had worked in silence, quickly with an efficiency that cannot be bought for any amount of oren. She had been busy, her hands never stopping, wiping blood and binding wounds, dampening foreheads and crushing what little herbs she had into ointments to tend their bruising. Finally , all the men slept. She looked around.

Iorveth had dissapeared almost immediatley when she started her work. She didnt know where he was, or how to get back to the mouth of the cave.

She neednt have worried, as he sauntered around the corner.

He was like the wind, appearing when needed, dissapearing silently, unpredictable.

His walk was confident and tall, he moved in a way that made you stop what you were doing and watch him. He wore many belts, had pockets, chains, all manner of things attached to him. She wondered what he kept in there. He stood in front of her.

"Thank you, Vanya, Aen Elle. You have helped the scoia'tael today - and that I wont forget. Alliances are forged out of trust. _For thescoia'tael_" he murmered, and her knees went weak. Cliche, but true.

"Im glad to help you tend your wounded. It saddens me how many lives are lost for your fight. I know you will say it is part of life."

"It is true. If I didnt kill them, they would kill me. And around it goes. Its just the way it is." he said.

As she watched him speak, his eye never left hers. She could feel the heat within her rising, through her body, across her back, between her legs, her chest, her heart. It was beating fast.

She was desperate for him to touch her. She knew it now. It was stronger every second she spent in his presence. She was not one for games. She didnt flirt and batt her eyes and crave a mans attention. She was independant and strong. But, something about this man...Called to her.

She took a deep breath. She spoke quickly, the words sounding less embarrassing if she said them fast;

"We elves are a proud race, and we live a long time. I have been fortunate enough to get by this long without the help of my kin. I now know...that...I have found a place here. I want to help you. Your fight - Let me in it. "

She sighed, frustrated that she was babbling;

"Im not playing games Iorveth. Dancing around you, hoping to win affection. Im not sure how the rules work in these particular games, and I dont like playing when Im not sure if I will win."

She looked into his eye. "I need to be around you. I want you more than Ive ever wanted anything or anyone in my life. Im not sure what it is I am asking for but-"

She saw a sly smile creep onto Iorveths face, for a fraction of a second. Then it was gone and his stone face was back.

"_Do you mock me little Aen Elle?"_

"I..no..I.. just-"

"Do you come here to play with fire? Do you think me like one of your pathetic villiage boys, stupid and desperate, that I would be grateful of your attention? I do not gladly take scraps from a womans table."

She was shocked at his response. She wasnt sure what she had expected but this wasnt it.

Iorveth started to walk in a circle around her, arms folded, back straight.

"What did you think was going to happen here today? That you would tell me this, and I would, cradle you in my arms by firelight? Feed you wine? Love you? You dont even know me! You barely know of the scoia'tael, and what we do here. You are Aen Elle - you are not my concern. You think your beauty can persuade me to forget about the world around us?"

He seemed to be getting angry now, his posture upright and proud, his arms flexing tightly against the leather as he gestured around the cave.

"See where we live? I have given up everything for the greater good. I will not rest until I get what we deserve! Do you know what I am dealing with outside of these walls? The stakes? What I am involved in? What I have done? You spend your days pandering to the disgusting humans in that town - a town that I aim to destroy with a thousand arrows!" he shouted at her.

She stood in silence.

Had he called her beautiful? She wanted to cry refusal of her, at his words, at his hatred, and worst of all at his inability to open up to anyone, and allow himself some light, amongst all the darkness. But she refused to cry. She would never allow a man to draw tears from her eyes.

He calmed some. He stopped pacing around her. He faced her again, his arms, back to a fold. He cocked his head to one side, then said;

"Your words, your intent, if it is honest - is flattering. I am glad to know that despite my reputation for slaughtering women, I could effect one of them in the way you have described. But - I have another path. I cannot give you anything that you crave. I have known you but a day. I have made my promise to the scoia'tael, and for freedom, years before you even knew of my name."

She was unsure what to say, but she didnt want to go home again, face that cottage, face her trusting, kind friend, and face the frustration of lying in her bed burning from just the mere memory of him. She was sick of lying to herself and wandering aimlessly through the lands, unsure of her path. She felt right when she was around this man.

"Then let me join you...let me...- she didnt want to say fight- ...help.. the cause you speak of, and better understand it. You fight for my race ...I want to know more."

He scoffed at her - and spoke in a drawling, sarcastic tone that infuriated her and made her feel like a stupid child;

"This isnt a barn dance love. You fight, you kill, you do everything nessesary. You burn, feel blood on your hands, taste it death all around you. You go hungry, your cold. You fight in daylight, by the moon, in all terrain. You move where the fight takes you. Can you even fire a bow? Fight? Swing a sword?" - He shook his head, making the decison internally - "No. Each link in the chain needs to be as strong as the next. We have one goal. We do whatever it takes. If I have to burn a town and everyone in it, to save just one of my warriors - I will. I make these dohines lives a living hell, and it doesnt even cross my mind to crush them under my foot!"

She knew he was right, deep down. She didnt know why she had told him what she had, now she felt a fool. She couldnt watch innocents die because of her desire for this man. But apart from Naiph, she had nobody. These elves were her own race. Her blood. A different clan, but the same ears. What would she go back to? The little cottage in Flotsam? Her directionless path? Even Naiph was moving on. Soon she would no doubt marry David, and start a family. What then?

She felt a craving for this man, it seemed to her much deeper than just lust, his passion was infectious.

She tried one last thing. If he didnt agree to this, she would have to move on.

"I could tend your wounded. Take messages to your spies in the town. Whatever you want."

"Why do you want to help us?" he said.

She was angry now; "Why do you question me so much? I hear rumours in the town that you are working with others, humans even! Others that dont even share the same ears that you refer to so often! And yet you make me jump through fire to help you? I am offering you my skills. I may not share the same past as an Aen Shae, but we have the same blood running through us."

He considered her for a moment. Then gave himself a little nod. Like he had made a choice. He said; "You have some fire in you, and, I cannot deny, you have proven yourself to be useful in one regard, yes. - He put a hand on his hip - "You may join our fight. Will I let you into battle? No. You would just prove a hinderance. But, you may tend our wounded. But make no mistake, Aen Elle. If you betray me, you die, woman or not. Ill have my men string you up by your legs and leave you in the darkest part of the forest. If you cannot keep up with the demands of living as we do, doing what we need to do to achieve our goal, you are left behind. It is your choice. You are fortunate that you have come when the tide may be turning for our race. We may have, finally, justice after all this time."

She was suddenly intrigued; "What do you mean? Do you have a plan in mind?"

He paced around again and spoke; "I will tell you this. I have an alliance. One which I feel will favour the scoia'tael, and all non-humans. Its not my ideal, but it is something I could live with. I could give my warriors peace, let them start families, grow our numbers, repopulate our ever decreasing race. My men have fought tirelessly for so long now - And now, I finally have a chance to get what we crave."

She raised an eyebrow; "Oh? And who would this alliance be with?"

He gave what sounded like a scoff; "I dont think so. You will find out my plans when I choose to reveal them."

"You have allowed me to stay here and tend your wounded, and yet, you still dont trust me?" she said.

"Make no mistake, I wont forget what you have done for my men today. If you remain loyal, I`ll not see you harmed at the hands of the scoia'tael. I will allow you to stay here, with us. Despite my better judgement, we need a healer. But I would be an utter fool to tell you everything. You wont need to wait long for your answers, Aen Elle. Plans are moving quicker than I anticipated" he said.

She was suprised at how involved Iorveth made her feel, in something she had no interest in a few days prior.

She was still reeling from the fact he had actually agreed to let her stay with them.

Gods! What would she tell Naiph!?

She bit her lip. Iorveth spotted it.

"What troubles you Aen Elle? Do you fear the consequences of your decision? I will not tolerate anything other than a full commitment to the scoia'tael. If you are even the slightest bit unsure of your choice, I ask you to leave, now, for the final time."

She almost felt like telling him to just shut up. She needed to clear her mind. But she didnt. Instead she said; "No. I am true to my word. I am just..." - ...she was about to tell him that she had to leave her best friends, her cottage, her possessions.

She wanted to ask him if she could return, say her goodbyes, make up a story, explain. But she knew that telling him this would just infuriate him and make her look weak.

She continued; "Im am just...considering the best way to tend your archer.. with the split bow wound. He didnt take well to the murk root and I need to gather some more."

He gave a nod, and seemed satisfied with this response. "Very well." He said. "Come. You will meet the others."

All notion of the their previous conversation, the fact she had pretty much spilled her heart and told him she wanted to just be near to him, seemed to have been forgotten. He lead her up to the others, pointing out important areas she would need to know.

After an hour of introductions, and a small meal of crushed roots, she lay on cold stone, alone, thinking. T

here were more of them than she had anticipated, and they were posted all over the northern realm. Iorveth and a few of his best archers stayed put here, as there was a large price on his head, and the last think they needed to content with was bounty hunters amongst all the other things.

Their unit was indescribable. Organised wouldnt even come close to explaining it. Their maps, weapons, cave, plans, everything - was an art form. Iorveth was not only cunning as a fox, he was a genius. The limited materials they had were of no consequence. They were as armoured as well as any other. It made her shiver.

As she lay on the cold stone, alone in what she deemed to be her quarters, she had two thoughts in her mind, and tried to calm herself from launching into a fully fledged panic.

Her first thought, was that it would now be nightfall, and that Naiph would be beside herself with worry. Cedric may have even gathered some men to look for her. She cursed herself for not leaving a note, but she hadnt expected Iorveth to actually allow her to stay here. She prayed to all manner of gods that nobody came to any harm looking for her.

She stifled tears back for her lovely Naiph, who had kindly befriended her, no questions asked. And now she was part of the ones who had killed her family. She hoped Cedric would see her tracks, and that he would use his good sense and realise that she wasnt hurt. She tried to calm her heartbeat, while simultaniously planning how she would get word to her friend, to let her know she was OK, but she had to go away, for a long time.

She didnt know how she would even put her betrayal into words. She shook her head, trying to dislodge her thoughts.

Alongside these worries, was her second thought.

That of practicality, and the huge hypocrisy she had undertaken. She was helping the scoia'tael, because she suspected, she was probably in love with the leader. But she couldnt pretend she didnt know what they were doing. The killing. She wouldnt be a part of it of course, Iorveth had pretty much labelled her useless, but she knew that she would be wiping innocent blood from the brows of the elves she tended. She supposed there was nothing she could do about that, except push it from her mind, and hope that Iorveth was true to his word when he said peace may be on the horizon. And her things? She had but one dress on her back, no blankets, herbs, no vials, nothing.

She cursed herself for her stupidity.

Although she was facing these feelings of anxiety, sadness and terrible guilt - there lay another feeling, deep down inside her. It was excitement. She hated herself for feeling it, but she couldnt deny it was there. She sat up, suddenly not tired. The cave was quiet. She squeezed her fists in a little ball either side of her. She would get to see Iroveth, every single day. She lay back down, feeling as giddy as a child. She tried to hang on to this feeling, and push the bad thoughts far away.

Weeks later, Vanya would look back and curse herself for being so naive and stupid. She would laugh at herself, lying in that cave with no warmth - and a near empty belly, excited just at the thought of Iorveths presence. But for now, our story continues.


	4. Chapter 4

Vanya awoke, feeling sore and tender from the cold stone floor.

Her back, neck and shoulders ached, she felt bruised and delicate, like she had been in a fight.

She stood to her feet and stretched like a cat. She walked over to the cave wall, where water was dribbling down in a small rivulet. She put her hands against it, and shuddered at its cold. She rinsed her face and mouth out, waking herself up. It wasnt too bad, really. She had slept in worse places, and she was dry at least.

She did miss the cottage though, with its warm firelight, and - No! Stop it!

She couldnt think of Naiph.

If she did, she would drive herself insane, or worse - cry in front of the scoia'tael.

She couldnt. She shook her head again, as if the thoughts would fall out of her ears this way. She sat down again, and began roughly massaging some life back into her cold legs.

She heard a scraping noise and turned around, to see a elf, a woman, standing watching her. She had red hair, tied tightly behind her face, and bright green slits for eyes. Her cheeks, much like Iorveths, were chiseled and her cheekbones high, but harsh, it looked cruel and unfriendly on her face.

"_Greetings." _the woman said, making her way further into the room.

Vanya bobbed her head in hello. She couldnt remember meeting this one the night before.

She noticed the woman was staring at her, something flashed in her eyes that put Vanya on alert.

"_I want you to know that I dont trust you. But a reason that remains a mystery, Iorveth has allowed you to stay here. I will have my eye on your every move. Know that I will be the first to strike you, if you betray us. And I will do it gladly."_

Vanya nodded. She didnt want to antagonise this woman further, she had only been here one night and she was right, to an extent - she was a stranger to them.

Vanya replied; "_Trust has to be earned. I understand."_

The other elf shrugged, and retorted, nastily; "Well, well, well. It can speak." - she started to walk towards Vanya, slow and careful, like she was hunting prey. "_Why are you here pretty little elf? Feeling bored of your little dohine town? Have you had enough of sitting on dohine cock, and now you want a real man to _-"

"_Enough!_" - this came from another elf, a man this time, with hair so pale it was almost white.

"_I was only teasing her Jarrod! Have a little sense of jovility would you!"_

"Go about your business Amael. Iorveth has brought her in, and so we welcome her with the grace and civility of the Aen Seidhe. Or would you tell Iorveth he has made a mistake?" he said.

She looked sullen. She turned and walked away, without looking back at Vanya.

"Sorry about that. We seem to have lost some of our hospitality and much of our manners. It must be living in these caves. Elves are destined for the trees and nature, and I think it effects some of us worse than others."

He gave a warm smile and continued; "We are mortal danger to our foes, but we do look after one another. You will never be harmed by us, as long as Iorveth speaks for you."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you. I know it seems...odd...my presence here. But in truth I have nothing else now. I am loyal, and I have promised Iorveth I will tend his wounded...Ill do whatever I can to earn the respect of the others."

He nodded, "Good. Think like that, and you will be fine. It is no business of ours whom our leader chooses to bring into the fold. We must trust his judgement. Now, have you eaten?"

She shook her head.

He reached into one of his many pockets and drew a small green apple out - and threw it to her. She caught it - mercifully - and thanked him. He turned and left, and she was alone again.

She bit into the apple. It was sour, but of course, she ate it anyway. What should she do now? Tend the wounded men she supposed. She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it, and finished the apple, core and all - as she knew that food would be a alot more scarce now. She made her way down the cave, thankfully remembering the way from yesterday. She wondered where everyone else was. It was quiet. She found the way to the cool open space where the wounded men lay.

Three of them slept, but one was sat up, sipping some water.

He looked startled when he saw her, and scrabbled around a bit. Vanya wasnt sure wether this was to cover his nakedness under the cloth, or because he didnt recognise her face. He winced in pain and he searched, uselessly, around for his bow. It was a fruitless excersise.

"Shh..shh... its OK" - Vanya said, approaching slowly and calmly - "Im a friend...Iorveth...asked me to tend to you."

At the sound of Iorveth`s name, he visibly relaxed ; "Forgive me... I didnt recognise you. I thought you, a human, for a moment" He said, and then he coloured.

"Dont worry, I hear that more often than you would think. Its my eyes I think. Blue. You dont usually see blue eyes in our race. They are usually green. Or brown. Or gold." She shrugged, then smiled at him, warmly.

She knelt beside him; "Do you mind if I take a look at you? Your ribs seemed to be broken, last time I checked." He nodded and lay back. He winced when she touched his bruising, but he didnt yelp. That was a good sign.

"Just bruised I think...you are very fortunate. Ill make you some painkiller out of what I herbs have, to help with the soreness. It wont be the best, but until I gather more, it will have to suffice for now." - She started mixing herbs against a makeshift peice of slate she had found the previous day.

He watched her while she worked.

"Are you and Iorveth, lovers?" he suddenly said.

She looked at him, a little suprised by his frankness. She gave a little tinkering little laugh; "No. We are not lovers."

"Didnt think so." he said, casually.

Vanya was a little bit dissapointed. What did he mean by that? She explained; "Im an Aen Elle, who somewhere through the years, lost her way a bit. I turned around one day and saw that I have nothing out there for me. I cam here, by accident really. But when I met Iorveth...I just.."

He nodded, like he understood exactly what she meant; "He captivates you, doesnt he?"

"Yes! Im glad Im not the only one. Although, I suppose you wouldnt all be here, if you didnt understand."

She started to smooth the paste gently onto his bruising.

He closed his eyes. "Thats nice. You have very soft, healing hands." he opened one eye, and said micheviously; "So, if your not Iorveths lover, you wont mind letting me take you for a wander one evening?" He gave a wink then winced again as she applied to cold mixture.

She gave him a smile. "You would do well to try!" - and she pretended to hit him in the ribs.

They both laughed. It was easy, and comfortable.

Vanya suddenly remembered Naiph, and she felt like crying.

"What is wrong?...forgive me..I didnt get your name?"

"Its Vanya." she said weakly.

"Why do you cry, Vanya? Surely my flirting skills are not so bad?"

She stifled a giggle,and bit back the tears that threatend to fall. "I have left some friends, back in the town. My desicion to come here was a swift one. I dont expect you to understand it, but I didnt get to bid them a farewell. They probably think me dead."

He nodded, and lay back down, covering himself again with his shirt. He said nothing, and she cursed herself for showing too much weakness. But then, he put a hand on hers, and rubbed it gently. It was what she needed. It was a sweet gesture, and although small, it said, I understand.

He spoke softly to her. "There is no shame in making bonds. Iorveth despises humans, but only because they despise him also. We are not bad people, we do what we have to do."

She pulled herself together. "Right. You should be fine to sleep now for a while. Ill be back soon. I need gather some more herbs, before the others wake up."

He yawned and closed his eyes; "Thank you, M`lady."

She stood, washed her hands, and turned to leave. She watched him fall asleep. She forgot to even ask his name. He was kind to her.

She hoped that the others would be as kind. She thought back to Amael, and hoped, that she was the exception, and not the rule.

As she made her way back, Her mind, finally thought of Iorveth.

Where was he? She wondered. Busy of course.

She needed more herbs if she was to make a half decent attempt at healing these men. Where could she gather them? Not at her usual spots, that was certain.

What if she bumped into someone looking for her? Would anyone be looking for her?

She better check with Iorveth before leaving.

She could hear a faint noise, coming from higher up in the cave. It was a lilting, soft tune. Flute. Sad, but beautiful. She followed the sound, it grew louder in her ears as she got closer to its source.

As she made her way closer, she could see Iorveth , sat cross legged on a stone table, playing it.

_Of course he was. _

The sound was captivating, he played perfectly.

She ached to touch him. Nobody could play a tune with that much emotion and be cold inside.

He finished his tune, making no move to rush. If he was shy of her watching him, he didnt show it. He put down the flute. He looked up at her, jumped off the table, then turned his back to her.

"Still here I see. Well, at least you survived the night - Ill give you that." He was fiddling with items on the table, strapping things to him, moving things around, various bits and belts, she couldnt really see.

She ignored his remark and spoke confidently; "You play very well."

He still had his back to her, "It passes some time. I find it strangely relaxing. What do you need, Aen Elle?"

Back to business then.

"I need herbs, if I am to tend to your wounded properly. Where can I gather them?" she said.

"Do I look like a herbalist? You know where to pick your herbs, you must have been doing it long enough, to be as good a healer as you are." - Another compliment wrapped in knives.

She pressed on regardless.

"I know where to pick them, but my usual spots, are all too close to Flotsam. I dont want to be seen by anyone from the town. People may be looking for me. If I am spotted, they will ask questions."

He raised one of his arms up as he spoke, back still turned. "So? Tell them you are living among the scoia'tael, and that if anyone speaks hide nor hair of it, they will feel the swift bite of an arrow to the heart within seconds of them speaking! You stand proud with your own race - you will not defend your actions to the filthy dohine!"

She almost rolled her eyes. "Why does everything have to be so dramatic with you? I just want to know if theres anywhere close to the cave I can pick herbs. I would rather avoid being pulled in front of the commandant. If they know I have been living among you, Ill be facing the gallows."

She couldnt be bothered to get into the topic of why she _really_ didnt want to go near Flotsam. Naiph and Cedric. How the thought of seeing either one of them would bleed her heart dry and make her run from the scoia'tael with every ounce of energy her body could muster. The thought of them knowing where she was was too hard. She would rather they think she was dead and mourne her quickly.

He finally answered; "Fine. Go to _Cáelmewedd_. The ruined baths. You will see them, to the west, as you leave the cave. Plenty grows around there. You have a few hours, before a guest we have among us returns there. He likes it there for some reason. You would do well to stay out of his way. Keep away from the clearing also, if you dont want to be fed to the Aracus."

He was still facing away from her, his back still turned, as he meddled with things on the table.

"Thank you." she said. She waited a moment, and when he made no move to turn around, she walked towards to mouth of the cave, seeing sunlight for the first time in what was probably hours, but felt to her like days.

"Aen Elle" he called after her.

"Yes?"

His words were spoken in a tone that sounded like he was making a joke; "Don't go getting yourself lost. Or worse, killed."

She smiled.

Herb gathering, for some, was a boring, thankless task. It required deft hands, a keen eye, and patience.

Vanya had these in spades, and made it look as easy as blinking an eye. She enjoyed it, it calmed her. Sometimes she sang while she picked, other times, she just lost herself in thought.

As she had come out of the cave and found her bearings a little, she had made her way through the trees, up the crags of stone, and emerged to see the beautiful garden of _Cáelmewedd_. It made her smile to herself. Beauty, among all this darkness.

She walked around, slowly, picking what she needed and enjoying the sun on her face. She smelled the roses of remembrance, she delicatley fingered their soft petals and took a while to appriciate their beauty. There was nobody around, the sound of birdsong drifted through the air and she felt some of her tension from the past few days uncoil.  
Being in places like this reminded Vanya of what her people were capable of, the beauty that their hands, her hands, could create.

She stroked her long, soft hair.

She felt ashamed that she had been hiding her beauty all these years. She realised now, it was a gift, and that many would crave it.

She wished it had more of an effect on Iorveth.

He didn't seem beguiled by it like the others.

She also knew that it made her a threat to some of the other women. There was only 4 or 5. Half of them were too wrapped up in battle to care of her presence, the other half were rude to her. They had all made bonds with the men, obviously some of them were even lovers. Did Iroveth have a lover?

She didnt want to step on any toes.

She sighed. Would Iorveth respect her more if she were blood thirsty? If she was openly hateful to humans? She hoped not.

She looked into her basket, and saw she had gathered enough to return back to the cave. She began her walk, sensing someone watching her. She turned, and scanned the trees, but saw nothing.

She returned to the cave, and made her way down its twists and turns. It was quiet, as usual. What they all through the day, she wasnt too sure.

She made her way to the stone clearing, and hoped her red haired friend from earlier was awake.

She rounded the corner to see just 2 men sitting up in their makeshift beds. The other two beds were empty. There was the red head from before, and another.

"Where are-?"

Red head responded; "Gone. To accompany Iorveth in a unit to the west." he yawned.

She wasnt pleased by this news. Scoia'tael or not, they were not well enough.

"One had a fractured arm, and the other, a huge blow to his head. By to mention cuts and bruises which I had yet to tend. Gods only know why Iorveth would deem them fit enough for anything." She sighed and threw her hands up in mock frustration.

"They wanted to go."- this came from the black haired elf - "there's been an ambush on one of the units. We don't know which one. Iroveth is furious, baying for blood no doubt."

She made to sit down, opening her satchel to remove her things.

"I never asked your names." She said, smiling at them both.

The black haired one gaped at her, then turned to the red head; "God's Elias, you weren't fooling after all! She's prettier than Francesca Findabear!"

She laughed, warmly, taking the compliment.

The red head rolled his eyes at his friend, and answered her question.

"I'm Elias, and this is Yoren" he gestured to his dark haired friend.

Yoren smiled at her, "Elias says your quite the healer. Great with your hands he says."

Elias was colouring. "Shut that mouth Yoren, you son of a whore!"

She intervened; "Come now. You re both still weak. Let me see your injuries please, Yoren."

She began to check him over, and realised, she liked the easy manner in which they teased her.

There was something about elven men that made her feel more relaxed. She felt like she could be beautiful here, without fear of leering. They stared, of course, but it didn't make her skin crawl like the men in Flotsam.

She checked them both over, they would be fine to leave tommorrow. What then?

What would be the point in her being here, if she had no wounded to tend to? She felt a cold prick of fear down the back of her neck as she considered her options. Iroveth had assured her she could stay, but only because she was useful to him.

She hoped he could find a use for her sooner rather than later.


	5. Chapter 5

She had spent an hour or so with Elias and Yoren, talking, laughing, and gently changing their bloodied bandages.

She was enjoying their easy company. It had been a long time since she had felt so relaxed.

She could hear noise coming from above them, higher in the cave.

Elias looked anxious and spoke; "They return! Vanya, I beg you, find out what has happened and report back to us?" - he looked eager for news and she felt sorry for him lying there, unable to move.

She nodded. "Of course. Although what they will tell me will not be in detial. You will probably hear the full story when you are able. But I will do what I can."

She stood up, making her way to the mouth of the cave and around the corner.

When she had gone, Elias turned to his friend.

"Isnt she beautiful? Gods Elias, shes distracting. Im glad she does not join us in battle. I fear I would be useless. What do you think she is really doing here Yoren?"

Yoren laughed at his friend. "What do you think! She is in love with Iorveth, its obvious. Why would an Aen Elle come here, to fight with the scoia'tael? I could understand if she were one of the Aen Seidhe, but her race has no business in this fight. She stays for him alone."

Elias looked a little annoyed at this revelation. "He has no time for her! He is enamoured with the human, the virgin. Do you hear the way he talks of her? She is the only one in his eyes."

Yoren shook his head. "No. You are wrong. He respects her, for her commitment to the scoia'tael, and for what she could do for us, our race, our future. You know how Iroveth is. He is black and white. He speaks to the virgin with no tone of hatred or threat. It suprises everyone to hear him speak calmly to a human. So everyone assumes, that it must be love. But his eyes do not linger on the Virgin, the way they linger, on the Aen Elle. Use your wits Elias."

Elias gave a nod, pondering this information.

Vanya made her way up to where Iorveth was standing. He barked out some orders in elven, then turned to face her.

She made the first move to speak this time.

"Your two archers down there will be healed by dawn. The other two" - she scanned around looking for them with her eyes - "I am not so sure. They left before I could finish checking them. Elias is eager for news. Oh, and I also survived your Aracas. " she said, attempting a little joke.

Iorveth crossed his arms. "The Aracus is dead. A witcher & a dwarf, killed it. They say we have been betrayed. If it is true, Lethlo will not live to see dawn. We find out tommorrow, we meet in the ruins."

"And what if he has betrayed you?"

"Then I kill them all."

Dinner was meagre and the same as the previous night.

She made the silent decision to collect some spices to make the crushed roots more paletable.

Iroveth had not eaten with the rest of them. She had sat by the firelight with the others, listening to them regale stories as they ate. Nobody seemed to miss Iorveth, so she assumed that he often ate alone. She was tired. She had not done much through the day, but she was still getting used to her new surroundings, her mind was exhausted from the thousands of questions she had bursting inside her. She stood, everyone too engrossed in a story to notice her depart. It was being told by the White haired elf that had come to her defence the day before.

She would have liked to have heard it, but she wanted to see Iorveth more.

She slipped out, and followed the firelight coming from another corridor of cave.

Iorveth was sat on a chair, sharpening what looked like a wooden spear with a knife blade. His face was deep in concentration, flickering in the firelight. He looked up at her and she almost gasped.

He had lifted his bandana, and his scar was visible. It was brutal, his eye gone. In its place a red, angry socket and a painful looking knife wound let down across his cheek and up to his mouth. He didnt seem to be bothered by it in the least. He made no move to cover it. He regarded her with a curt nod, and continued his sharpening.

She sat, near the fire beside him. "How did you come across your scars?" she asked.

"I had the misfortune of severley underestimating an opponent. It happened once, and I will never make the same mistake again, let me assure you. It bothers me none. I can see, I can fire an arrow, and I can fight. The person who left this mark no longer lives. I do. I would call that a victory."

He stopped sharpening and looked at her. "I am glad you are here. I have a task for you."

She swallowed. "Im listening."

"I have a spy, a dohine. She is whore, by the name of Margot. She protects one of our own, from the filth of Letho`s army. She has proven to be useful enough. In her last letter, she said had something to give me, but some time has passed and I am yet to receive anything. She will be based in the Garrison after dusk. You will not have to enter Flotsam. She will meet you on the outskirts of the Garrison. You will not be seen by the guards. I ask this of you, as you somehow manage to travel through my forest without getting yourself killed. How, I do not know."

She felt a slight sense of relief wash over her. Under the cover of darkness, she would be fine. No Cedric, No Naiph, just in and out of there.

"When?" she said.

"You leave tonight."

She almost choked on her outrage. Tonight?! But she had to prove herself. The leader of the scoia'tael had asked this of her, and she could not refute him. She had a lot to prove to the others. Most were friendly enough, sure, but she knew they were wondering when she would become useful.

"Alright."

She thought that she detected a tiny flash of suprise in Iorveths face. She knew that he hadnt expect her to agree to it. But she would get his respect. She would prove to him he had made the right choice letting her stay here.

They spent a significant amount of the evening, going over formations, where she would go, what she would avoid, what she would say to Margot. He was relentless in his questioning, checking and re-checking, making sure she had everything in her mind. He wanted her to carry a knife, which she agreed to. He told her how to use it, where to strike.

"Never question your attack. Attack with force and be brutal. You strike to _kill_, not injure." he had said.

This was the most he had spoken to her since they met. It was tedious, but it made her realise why he was so brilliant. She felt calm when she finally raised her hood to leave.

"I will have my warriors cover you through the forest. When you are close to the Garrison, they will stay high in the trees and watch from above. If anything goes awry, they will protect you with their arrows. Do not enter the Garrison. If you do, you will not be under our protection. We cannot cover you there, Understand?"

She nodded.

"_Va Fail, Aen Elle_."

Her feet crunched along the forest floor. Her heart was beating fast, but she felt no real fear.

She knew her plan well. It was relitivley low risk in the grand scheme of the scoia'tael.

She could feel the archers above her, protecting her. The best in the world. She willed herself onward.

When she saw the flickering lights of the garrison, she began to slow her pace, moving silently and scanning everywhere with her eyes.

She could hear the sounds coming from beyond the walls.

Shouting, singing, crude insults. The crash of glass, as something fell to the floor, a roar of manly cheers. An arm wrestle, probably.

She heard retching, and the splatter of liquid hitting stone. Some guard who had obviously drunk to excess. Typical.

She could smell the smoke from a camp fire, and hear murmered conversations.

As she got closer and waited. Minutes past, and she wondered if Margot would show, but then she saw the wooden door leading to the forest - creak open quietly. She ducked down, but was glad to see it was just Margot, sliding out into the darkness.

Margot looked around wildly, and her face mirrored Vanyas in fear and urgency.

"Mi Arts beating like a drum!" Margot said, and fished into her chest for a letter.

She pulled it out, and handed it to Vanya. It was warm. Vanya slid it into one of the secret pockets in the inner lining of her cloak.

"Thank you." she said.

"Go on, scram quick! An tell Iorveth, that -" she was interuptted by the door squeaking open behind her. Vanyas heart stop beating.

It was a guard. He was noticably intoxicated. He stumbled, then burped, then fell over.

Margot looked at Vanya. Her eyes was saying; Stay calm. Do not run.

Margot turned around and addressed the guard jovially; "Ya silly sod! Come on, lets be avin ya!" he grumbled something under his breath that Vanya couldnt understand.

Margot laughed and said "Youl be lucky sunshine!"

She turned and put his arm over her shoulder, beginning to lead him back to the door. Vanya breathed a sigh of acute relief.

But then, the door opened again!

Vanya almost cursed aloud, what they hell was going on?!

This door had been watched by the scoia'tael for days now, it opened once or twice, throughout the day. Never did the guards use it in the evenings. It was too risky for them, too near to the forest. If they needed to piss, they pissed on the wall - Inside the Garrison.

Why was it opening and closing like a whorehouse?!

A fat, disgusting guard walked towards Margot and the other man. He was dressed in the tabard that all Lethlos men wore. He was dirty, and bald.

He let out a cruel, belly laugh when he saw his friend limping against Margot.

"Ya can never handle ya drink, ya daft bastard! Look at the state of ya!"

He started laughing again, and his gaze flicked to Vanya, standing behind, in the shadows. Their eyes locked.

"OI! Wa`she doin ere?" - he shouted at Margot.

He reached for his sword, clumsily, lazily.

Vanya felt the world stop. She could almost hear the bows above her, tensed and ready to release.

Margots next words, were crucial. She spoke loftily and casually, like she hadnt a care in the world. It was impressive;

"Shes wi mi. One o` mi new'uns. Shy liccle thing, arnt ya Nellie? She were taking sick, too much voddy. I took her out so she didnt make a mess o' erself in front ut' others"

Vanya was frozen. She heard the tightening of strings above relax a little. She knew the scoia'tael were watching, but nothing happened. The guard had his head cocked to one side, eyeing Vanyas body hungrily.

"Weeellll now. Arn`t you a sight for sore eyes. Come ere little one, I wont urt ya...Ard!" he laughed cruelly again moving forward towards her. He was disgusting. Vanya shuddered inwardly.

Margot interjected and put her arm out to stop him, groping him; "Leave her be. She int' ready yet. She`s learnin off me, see. Too young for a real man yet, by alves!"

Although Vanya wasnt a teen, her soft smooth skin and glittering eyes, made her look much younger than most human women. Elves had that power.

The guard cocked his head, like a fool, and drawled in a baby voice;

"Aww. Liccle girlie like you, shouldnt be owt ere' in the forest. Come on, ya can walk through the garrison back to ya 'ouse. Ill not see any of em bother ya." he said gently.

She had a choice to make.

If she ran, the scoia'tael arrows would kill the guards in seconds. B

ut they would also alert the others, and what of Margot?

Margot didnt deserve to be deserted.

She would face the gallows. Would she follow Vanya, into the forest? Wasnt worth the risk. Margot couldnt keep up with their elven pace, she would just slow them down, and could get them all killed.

If the guard let Vanya walk through the garrison, she could walk through the town and out of Lobinden to the forest. It was too late for any townspeople to be around. The inn would be deserted, she wouldnt have to face anyone. Margot could keep them busy.

But Iorveth had warned her; _Go into the Garrison, and you are not protected by the scoia'tael arrows._

Only a second or two had gone by as she considered her options.

Margot, trying to protect her, had made the choice for her.

"Come on then little'un. Ill see ya home. Then ya can reward this fine gent` tommorra, when ya feeling better in yaself, eh?"

She couldnt know, that by uttering the words, she would change Vanyas life forever.

Vanya gulped, and nodded.

Jarrod watched them enter the Garrison from above.

He hissed a curse in panic; "Blo`ed Aen Elle! What is she doing?!"

Elves had excellent hearing, and had heard the conversaton below.

If she managed to walk through the square and out into Lobinden, she would be safe.

They looked at one another, hoping. Iorveth would be furious if this didnt go to plan.

He hadnt wanted to let her go out so soon, but he had been persuaded by some of the others; "_Make her earn her share of our limited supplies_! _Make her prove she is loyal!" _they had said.

And Iorveth couldnt argue with that logic. He would have asked the same of them, had they brought a stranger into the fold. Fair was fair.

They decended the trees, and broke into a sprint, if she made it out of Lobinden as was the obvious route, they would be able to cover her back with their arrows. They raced on, through the darkness.

Her eyes adjusted to the firelight in the garrisons grounds as they walked. It was late into the night, and they were all drunker than sense.

She could smell the acrid tang of vomit.

Some men had passed out sleeping, others sat around the table, shouting and banging their fists at each other, wrestling and jostling and laughing.

She could even see in the shadows, a bare arse, moving in quick, short bursts, 2 pale legs poking out either side.

"_They multiply like vermin_" she heard Iorveth saying in her mind.

She kept her eyes down, and her cloak and hood covering her.

She was glad she had her hair down around her face.

She shuffled behind the three of them, Margot was in the middle with an arm around each man, crooning to them and letting them feel her up, to distract them from Vanya. She was more grateful than words.

She saw the door ahead, leading to the square, and made a beeline for it. One of the men next to Margot shouted after her "Tata love! See ya tommora!" and they all laughed.

She opened the door to the square, and quickly closed it behind her.

She breathed a deep sigh of thanks to Margot and wondered how she could ever repay her.

She started through the square, towards Lobinden. The whole thing, from leaving the hideout to now, had taken what felt like minutes.

She felt the parchment in her cloak.

She had done it.


	6. Chapter 6

_*Note: Some quite disturbing parts, but its important to the story, no offence intended*_

She was already planning a hero`s welcome in her mind.

Iorveth would respect her after this, surely.

She had taken a risk tonight, and made a choice. The right choice.

She smiled at herself and continued through the last door, into the square. She noticed the 2 swinging bodies in the gallows and stifled a gasp, averting her eyes away. She couldnt make them out in the darkness, but she prayed they had not suffered too much.

As she made her way past, the inn was silent, closed for the evening now. A soft candlelight flickered through a window. She thought of Naiph.

She would be at home, sleeping. She was glad that Naiphs cottage was not on her way past.

Maybe David had moved in with her, to protect her? She hoped so. She hoped they were making love by the fire, happy and content in each others arms. She hoped he was soothing her friend, making her laugh, making her forget everything.

Suddenly, she heard light footsteps behind her. She felt a fear, gripping her insides like ice.

She quickened her step, her heart beating fast, and made for the door leading to Lobinden.

She could hear the footsteps behind her, catching her up, becoming more urgent. She broke into a run.

There were no guards around, not that they would have been useful.

She crashed into the wooden door, flung it open and made it through to outer Lobinden - keeping her pace and focusing her eyes on the firelight ahead, lighting the outside of the forest, like a beacon. Human footsteps where no match for her own pace, she would outrun whoever was behind her...it was silent.

For a reason that Vanya would never understand, the lack of footsteps, caused her to stop in her tracks. _Stupid._

That was all it took.

Seconds.

She felt a painful grip on the back of her neck. She almost cried out, but a hand covered her mouth. It smelled unclean and she accidentally tasted the skin on in her mouth. Salt. She tried to bite down but the hand was too quick, shoving a balled up dirty rag in her mouth, to stop her from screaming.

As soon as she tasted it, she knew.

_Whiteroot._ She would be unconcious in seconds.

She kicked out, scratching and kicking as hard as she could. He roughly spun her around and their eyes locked again. It was him. The guard from before.

_Gods, your stupid, Vanya_! she cursed herself.

She struggled in his grip, using her entire body to buck and kick and thrash and...but it was too late.

All went black. She fell to the floor.

He grabbed her arms and roughly pulled them behind her, securing them with rope. He hoisted her unconscious body over his shoulder and looked around.

This beauty was much too precious to share. Plus, if that old bitch Margot found out about this, she might get nasty, stop her services.

He would have his turn with her, then when he was spent, he would rough her up a bit. That outta shut her pretty little mouth. She wouldnt be telling anyone.

He couldn't see anyone around. It was total darkness, and deserted. Only the flickering of mounted torch lights up ahead.

He felt a bulging in his trousers, he was sweating in anticipation. He twisted, left and right, searching for a place he could plough her in peace. His quarters were too far, and he couldn't risk carrying her through the square.

He walked to a little group of houses, near the water where the lights were still doused.

Round the back of here, he thought.

It wasnt like she would scream anyway.

The scoia'tael were waiting, a little deeper into the forests, and they could not see her.

They argued in elven, whispering harshly;

_"Lets go back to Iorveth, he will tell us what to do next!"_

_"No! We cannot leave her, she needs our help!"_

_"We cannot enter the town, its too risky. If we are lost, or worse, captured!"_

_"We will wait."_

In truth, they didnt know what would happen . It was a situation they had not prepared for.

They sat, motionless in the trees, their hearts beating fast, wondering, what the hell they should do.

Iorveth was pacing up and down. Frantic, is a poor choice of words for someone like Iorveth, but he was as close to frantic as he could get.

"_Where the fuck are they?! They have been too long_!"

His cunning mind was working fast. He couldn't send more archers out, it would be pointless.

If they had been killed, or worse caught, they would die.

His warriors were prepared for that.

But Vanya? She was not scoia'tael. She did not know how to welcome death. She did not know how to take her own arrow, and twist it into her chest, to bring instant death, lest she reveal the secrets of the hideout.

If they tortured her, which they would, she would bleed and squeal like a pig, desperatly telling them everything she knew, before being slain anyway.

He clenched his fists. The thought of that made him lose his mind.

He grabbed his bow, and started to stride out of the cave, when 2 of his men appeared in front of him, blocking his way.

"_Iorveth, If they are lost...they are lost_."

He stopped in his tracks, about to argue, but knew, they were right. He gave a solemn nod.

He had to be strong for the scoia'tael.

Iorveth could never have guessed what was happening, on the muddy banks of Lobinden dock.

Vanya was battered, beaten, and bitten - within an inch of her life, and, worst of all, she was raped.

Constantly, roughly, and repeatedly, until the disgusting, grunting guard rolled off her, spent. He spat, and turned to look at her.

Now his desire was tamed, he noticed she was a little older than he thought.

She was more lovely than any woman he had ever seen, and he felt a slight tinge of shame. Like he had pulled the wings off a butterfly or the petals from a rose. He lay, panting, and fastened his trousers.

It had been worth every second, he thought. She was unconcious throughout, yes, but her supple, slim body, soft skin, smooth round breasts, and tight...he gave a shudder in pure pleasure at the memory.

He had roughed her up a bit before hand, that was a big mistake. He had tasted her blood when he pushed his tongue into her mouth. That wasnt his smartest move. He looked at her, covered in blood.

Gods, she was messed up. He would just leave her here. She would wake up soon enough, he knew. Whiteroot was potent but short lived.

He bent down to her, and shook her shoulders, she made a muffled mewling sound. He felt a little disgusted with himself if truth be told.

He then jogged away.

Had he of been less eager, or less stupid, he would questioned why a beauty like her would be working as a town whore. He may have even noticed her elven ears, and maybe, then, this would be a different story. Was it good fortune? One would never know.

Vanyas eyes flickered. Was she dead? It was dark out still. She remembered her last moments of conciousness and did a mental calculation in her head about how much Whiteroot she had tasted, and how long it would have knocked her out for. Not too long. Her mind was groggy from it, her first thought, was that at least, she had been knocked out.

And then, - blinding and fierce, the pain came.

It was like white hot lightning, everywhere. She couldn't move. Everything hurt. Even her eyelids. It hurt just being alive.

She slowly, ever so slowly, sat upright.

The movement was slower than time itself.

She would have screamed forever if she had the energy to.

She blinked a few times and felt the raw agony between her legs. She closed her eyes and said a prayer for strength in her head.

She dragged herself along the floor, the movement taking an age, like a sea creature moving along the ocean floor.

She stood to her feet, feeling like that one task, was the hardest thing she had ever done. She used a wall to steady herself. She knew that if she sat back down, she would let herself die.

She grit her teeth, and felt something in her mouth, it felt like a rock. She opened her mouth and it fell to the ground in a pool of thick red spit. A large, white tooth. She ran her tongue over her teeth and was glad to feel all her front ones still intact.

"Silver linings!" she thought, and almost laughed aloud. She was in shock, she knew.

She also knew, she had to get moving, now.

It would be dawn soon, and she couldn't face the townspeople. Adreneline surged through her as she imagined Cedric seeing her or... Stop Vanya! Concentrate! She shook her head to herself, which was stupid - because it hurt like hell.

The adrenaline was enough to spur her forward, limping, as quick as she could muster. She knew she would just have to get out of Lobinden, and she would be OK. She was moving like she was wading in tar - she would never make it in this state. She could feel her own warm blood everywhere. Down her legs, her face, her hands. Her long, slender hands were covered in what looked like bites. Her long fingernails, broken and torn.

She couldn't see out of one eye, it was swollen shut, the other was almost the same. It hurt to breathe, she knew she had broken ribs. It hurt to do anything. And the other place. Below her belly button and further? Her secret flower, hers to give at her will, ripped from her. She was no virgin, of course, she had lived for many years ; but she gave herself willingly and very rarely - to those deemed worthy enough in her heart. With every movement, it was searing fire. She could barely walk.

Why did he have to beat the living hell out of her? Why couldn't he just kill her? She thought. She had only made it a few hundred yards but it felt like she had been walking forever. The pain was so intense she was doing everything in her power not to pass out from it. She had to get further. Cedric and his men came this far. She needed to go further.

A few more minutes passed, and finally, mercifully, she was far enough away from Flotsam to not be seen. She let out a whimper, and crumpled to the floor.

She awoke to a kind of smelling salt. Someone was waving a vial under her nose. She blinked a few times. Her vision swam.

_Iorveth._

He was crouched beside her, his gaze intense, looking down at her with a glittering green eye.

She tried to sit up, but his arm reached out and pushed her back down, gently.

She was in the hideout, she could feel it. The air was different down here. One flick around the with her eyes proved her to be right.

She could see, so that was something. That meant the swelling had gone down. How long had she been here? She felt groggy and slow.

They must have given her something for the pain.

She looked at Iorveth again. He hadnt yet spoken.

He was looking at her intensly and all she could see in his eyes was anger, and murderous rage, and blood, and -

"Vanya. I am going to ask you some questions. You can answer them with a nod, or a shake of your head." She nodded.

"Did anyone suspect you were part of the scoia'tael?"

She shook her head.

"You wernt beaten, for information?"

She shook her head again. The memory was flooding back and she wanted to vomit. Please not in front of him. Anyone but him.

"Do you know, who did this to you? Do you know his face?"

She nodded and gripped her eyes shut. She would never forget it for as long as she lived.

He put a hand on her shoulder gently, then he rose to his feet.

He began to walk out of the room, then turned and said, in a promise;

"When you feel well enough, you will tell me who did this to you. I will find his family. I will put them, on a stake, and burn them alive while he watches. He will feel more pain than he knows exists. I will crush him. They will all _die_, for doing this to you Aen Elle."

Then he left.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. She wanted to defend the mans family, who wernt to blame for his actions, but she didnt. She was too exhausted to argue. Besides, he was gone.

She lifted her covers. She was in new clothes now. Basic, but clean. She hadnt been bandaged too well, but she couldn't feel any sticky blood in her hair or in her mouth. Whoever tended her had done a decent enough job, and she was grateful. Maybe it was Iorveth? She laughed at her own thought, and regretted it immediately. Pain shot through her.

No laughing for a while, Vanya. No movement at all.

One of the women came in. She recognised her as Darnei, who usually had her face buried in a map.

She gave Vanya a warm smile and sat down beside her. "Greetings, I am Darnei. I am responsible for those tight bandages, forgive me, I am not a natural healer. How are you feeling?"

Darnei handed her a cup of cold water to drink. Vanya gulped it gratefully, and then another.

Finally quenched, she turned to face Darnei.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"2 days."

She wasnt suprised.

Practicality. She thought.

She whsipered, softly, like it hurt to speak.

"Darnei. I need some herbs, for...I.." She stopped and took a deep breath.

She shuddered and fought the urge to vomit, but she had fought it too many times, and it took over her. She turned her body and retched, violently, the water she had just drank, splashing onto the floor.

Darnei smoothed Vanyas hair, and softly crooned to her, comforting her.

Then, she pulled a pouch from her belt and handed it to Vanya.

"Everything you require is inside. Ill fetch you some more water."

Vanya clutched the pouch gratefully, and cried.

The herbs had been taken, she was cleaned up and rested, and now, she was lying down on her side.

She was alone.

Tears fell from her eyes, silently, falling with no respite.

She heard someone come in, but she didnt move. She pretended to be asleep. She didnt want to face anyone.

She heard the footsteps, and knew from the slow, deliberate steps, that it was Iorveth.

She felt him sit down next to her, his back braced against the stone wall.

She knew that he would have been told by Darnei about her savage rape, her injuries.

Would he think her disgusting now, that she had been used by a dohine?

He started talking to her, knowing she wasnt asleep.

"Darnei gave me the parchment you retreived from Margot. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, you managed to complete the task set before you."

Slience rolled in. She didnt know what to say. He spoke again.

"It was never my intention for any of this to happen. You have paid a heavy price, for my stupidity."

She rolled over, and sat up a little. She was next to him now, by his side, their backs against the stone wall.

"Im stupid." - she said. - "You told me what to do, again and again. I went into the Garrison. I should have known."

"You have proven yourself to be anything but stupid. You could have rolled the dice very differently indeed. You could have run, alerted the guards, and then the entire unit would have been put into danger."

She sighed. She was tired of talking about it. Tired of it all. She yawned, lightly to herself. She was suddenly overcome with exhaustion.

She fidgeted with a peice of thread on the blanket covering her. A question popped into her mind, and for once, she asked it freely.

"What do you see, in your dreams?"

He thought for a moment.

"Freedom. For the scoia'tael to walk into a human inn. For Humans to wander the forests without fearing our arrows. Justice for the Aen Saeide. Acceptance. Peace... A fire, food, warmth. What is often taken for granted, by those whom least deserve it."

She was tired again. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

Usually, she would have considered this move, planned it and held her breath, hoping he wouldnt flinch away from her. But she was past caring about that. She just needed somewhere to put her aching head.

He didnt flinch, or move. He let her rest there, and started down at the floor.

Passion was easy when he was swinging his sword, or firing his arrows. Casting blood in crimson waves through the air, and shouting in battle.

But here, in this room, Iorveth did not feel like the leader of the scoia'tael. He was just an ordinary elf, with a beautiful girl on his shoulder, unsure of what he should do to make her feel alright again.

He shifted her down, so her head was resting on his chest. He put a leathered arm around her body, hoping the belts on his arm didnt dig into her and cause her discomfort.

They didnt.

She fit into his body, like a hand in a glove. He felt her soft breathing, saw her chest rising and falling, and he knew she was asleep.

She nestled slightly, squeezing him a little more.

He lay there, all night, holding her, protecting her, and smelling her soft, jasmine hair.


	7. Chapter 7

When she awoke, to hear the wind whistling through the cave, he was gone.

She had slept better in his arms, than she had in... as long as she could remember.

She knew it wouldnt happen again.

Iorveth was like a storm, silent and strong, passing over you. When you stood in the eye of it, nothing else mattered. You felt important and safe when he looked at you. But he was also illusive, harsh and ruined, by years of fighting and bloodshed.

She knew that last night was his silent apology to her : _Im sorry that this happened to you under my command._

She lay there, letting the morning light seep through a crack in a high point of the cave wall.

She made the decision early on, that she was going to move past this. She would not allow hours of agonising thoughts and memories to burden her days and make her useless. She had proven her loyalty to the Scoia`tael, and in doing so, she had sealed her own fate.

Whatever life had in store for her, she would have to stay here. She wanted to stay here. What else was there?  
The caves where quiet, nothing but the sound of dripping water and wind.  
She knew the scoia'tael would be in the ruins by now...what had Iorveth said - about a betrayal? And meeting with a witcher?

She bit her lip and hoped he would come back safely. She rose to her feet, surprisingly easily.

She made her way to the mouth of the cave to see Elias standing, watching for something in the distance with his bow drawn tightly.

He beamed at her as she came in and lowered is weapon down. "Your awake. Good sign."

She could see despite his smile there was anxiety etched onto his face.

"Elias, what's wrong?" She said, a little ball of panic beginning to swirl inside her.

"Iorveth, and the others. They go to meet Lethlo and the witcher. Lethlo, it seems, is responsible for the death of one of our brothers, Ciaran. We found him, early this dawn, dead on the prison barge." He shook his head in sorrow.

"And what of the witcher? Where does he fit in?" Vanya pressed.

"He wants Lethlo for his own means. Although, if he has betrayed us, I fear he won't live long enough to be of any use. Iorveth will kill him faster than light itself."

She bit her lip again, then immediately released it. She had to be strong, worrying got you nowhere.

Elias spoke to her softly; "I heard, about what happened to you. Your not the first, it has happened to many before you. We -"

Vanya held up a hand for him to stop; "I know Elias, you dont have to say it. I want to forget. I will move on from it, and not speak of it again."

Elias nodded and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Beautiful and so very brave. You do not wallow in things that you cannot control, that is our way. There can be no other."

She smiled and he withdrew his hand, his eyes scanning back into the distance.

"Blo'ede! I cannot see anything!" he said in frustration.

She sat down, against the mouth of the cave.

"Why did you stay here?" She asked.

"If Letho manages to escape from the ruins, he might return here, to take our supplies, or to kill any of us remaining. If that happens, I will be here with my bow, ready to strike him in his heart before he even gets close."  
He looked down at her, then added;  
"Oh, and to protect you of course. Iorveth made that very clear."

Her heart leaped a little, but she wasnt sure why

They sat, silently, awaiting their fates.

Vanya was starting to understand that here, with the scoietal, no day was a quiet one. Every day there was a fight to be won. Her life was so different now, and it had only been a matter of days since she was doing Naiphs hair for her, and giggling about things, that now, seemed so utterly trivial it almost made her laugh. She swallowed hard, and prepared for what ever was coming next.

* * *

The meeting at the ruins of Cáelmewedd, had been over in mere seconds. Iorveth had discovered Lethos treatury, and the witcher had turned out to be a surprising ally.

Alas, the details of this meeting are unimportant, as this is the story of Iorveths heart, not his battles.

He and the remaining few of his unit made their way back to the cave. He had lost several men, thanks to Roche, and plans had been made, sudden and quick. They would collect what they needed, then make their way to Vergen.

It was time to act, now.

* * *

Elias sprang up. They had been sat, eating berries and talking about nothing much, while they scanned the horizon.

Vanya stood too, they could both here the footsteps hurtling towards the cave.

"Behind me. Now!" Said Elias, all joviality and softness stripped from his voice.  
Vanya did as she was told.  
He drew his bow, and saw Iorveth and the others ahead.  
He lowered it and breathed a sigh of what could only be described as pure relief.  
So did Vanya.  
She realised she had been holding her breath the entire time.

The next few minutes flew by in a whirl of panic.

The sound of an entire unit gathering together every weapon, map and arrow they could.

Iorveth was shouting orders, dispatching units to every corner of the Northern Realm. His arms moved in all directions, firing orders.  
Lovers were separated, friends pulled apart, going in different directions, dispatched to different units. No time for goodbyes or sorrow, it was their duty for the scoietael.

Vanya helped however she could, her hands working quickly as she tied last minute bandages, gave instructions on basic first aid and herbs, and helped to pack supplies. Her heart was beating faster and faster as she awaited her own orders. The cave was emptying now.

Finally, Iorveth`s gaze was on her.

"Vanya, you will go with Jarrod and Noel to the East bank out of Lobinden, and await the passing of the barge. Take a sword, and _use it_. If the barge does not pass, go ahead to Vergen and await news. If I do not make it there, fight for Saskia - with all the might of the scoi`eatal."

"SCOI`EATAAAAALLL!" Shouted Noel and Jarrod.

_Saskia?_ She thought. _Who was Saskia? _

She had no time for any questions, the other men nodded and grabbed their bows.

Vanya felt like she was drowning. This was happening too fast for her to process.  
The other 2 where ahead of her now, running, following their orders with no question.  
She grabbed her satchel and a sword, and ran with them.

She couldnt look back.

* * *

She had kept her pace with Jarrod and Noel, none of them speaking, until they reached Lobindens outskirts.

They could see the barge, and the clang of swords came from all directions beyond the wall.

They could see smoke rising from the town. Flutters of panic rose inside her. _Naiph._

Vanya was scanning around for her friends, for people that might recognise her, but she realised as she got closer, that this was futile.

_"What the fuck happened here!?"_ Jarrod murmered as they made their way to the banks.

Chaos was all around them, and they hurrdily slipped into the underbrush before they were spotted.

They crouched and waited, watching the turmoil unfold in front of them.  
Two guards stood in the way of the bank they needed to get to if they were to make the barge.  
Jarrod signalled to wait. The guards looked panicked, and it was obvious they were on the cusp of running away from their posts.

_"Hold. Let the cowardly dohine run away. Do not waste an arrow."_ Jarrod hissed.

Sure enough, moments later, the men fled, and Vanya could see why. The acrid smell of blood and fire was everywhere. She could hear screaming, coming from all directions.

Footsteps were pounding every surface. She scanned her eyes around Lobinden sqaure. Guards were holding the gates closed. She said a silent prayer for her friends.

Then, they heard a guard, shouting, then another, and another;

"Hes got Iorveth! Iorveth has been captured!" - Vanya turned to the others her eyes wide in fear, but she relaxed when she saw Noel and Jarrod smirking at each other knowingly.

Vanya understood; "A ruse?"

"Most definatley. Iroveth would die on his own sword before surrenduring to the Dohine scum. Come, lets wait for the barge."

They ran to the place on the bank that Iorveth had told them.

Vanya could make him out in the distance, being led by what looked like a human, onto the barge. She strained her eyes to see, but they were too far.

"Who leads him?" she asked.

"The witcher." replied Noel.

"And Iorveth can trust him?"

Noel shrugged. "Only Iorveth can answer that. He has proven to be trustworthy so far. Time will tell."

* * *

By the time they had sailed out of Flotsam, night has fallen, stars glittering in the sky above them.

What had happened leading up to that point was nothing short of a massacre. Iorveth and the witcher had killed every man on the barge, and commandeered it through the waters.

3 elven women had almost been burned alive but had been saved - by the witcher, whom she now knew as Geralt. The deck of the boat glistened with blood.

Vanya, Jarrod and Noel had been waiting on the eastern bank, and had climbed aboard just after the ordeal was over.

She watched as Iorveth and the others heave the bodies of the dead overboard into the water. She was tending to a bard they had also picked up, named Dandelion.

He had burns and cuts, but was smiling none the less.

He spoke in an accent she wasnt familiar with ;

"You know, I might have swallowed some water back there. Maybe you should put your mouth to mine and see?" - she laughed, he was cheeky, but friendly and there was no threat in his words.

Everyone got to work on their tasks.

They had also been joined by a dwarf. Vanya found him delightful. He was funny. He had said when he met her, his voice deep and gruff; "By the depths! You are a fucking picture. Look at them eyes!"

She had thanked him and accepted the compliment warmly.

As they bobbed along the water away from Flotsam, the witcher approached her.

He was intense, and his gaze gave her gooseflesh. She felt like she was naked.

"Are you scoia'teal?" he asked her, his voice deep and dark.

She thought for a moment.

"Yes." She replied. And that was that.

* * *

They were to spend 2 days sailing to Upper Aedern.

There were just 12 of them on the boat, the rest of the scoietael already dispatched in units, to meet at Vergen.

Only Vanya, Geralt, Iorveth, Dandelion, Noel, Zoltan, Jarrod, 3 other male members of the scoietal, and the 2 elven women they had rescued. One of the women had jumped back overboard to remain in Flotsam, where she had a child.

Once all the chores had been done, and they were sure they were not being persued by Loredos men, the mood improved dramatically.

Dandelion started singing and playing the lute. They found a keg of brown liquor hidden behind some netting below deck, and promptly cracked it open. It was rum.

Vanya sat and listened to the music, her cheeks rosy, her hair blowing in the wind and her eyes sparkling from several swings of rum.

To think, she had woken in a cave this morning, now she was here. The unpredictabilty of travelling with the scoia'teal was addictive.  
The sea air was making her giddy. She needed a sip of water, so she made her way below deck.

The two elven women they had rescued, were sat on one of the hammocks, talking.

Vanya felt sad for a moment. She would probably never see her friends again.

One of them patted at the space next to her, smiling, and motioning her to sit.

"I'm Mottle, and this is Eva."

Vanya smiled back and sat down. "Do you not wish to join us on deck?"

The two girls shook their heads. "I think we are still in shock from earlier. We are so very lucky to be alive. If it wasnt for the witcher..." she turned very pale.

The other chimed in; "Mottle gets terribly sea sick too. I'm trying to take her mind off it."

Vanya looked at Mottle, who had a sheen of sweat on her forehead.

She rooted in a small bag that was clipped to her belt, removing some small brown seeds. She put one in her mouth, popped it casing, and spat it back out.  
Then she carefully removed it from its shell, and crushed it in her fingers. She motioned for Mottle to bring her face closer. Mottle did as she was told.  
Vanya pushed her fingers deep into the girls mouth, making her gag. Her eyes became wide with fear. Then, as quickly as it had happened, it was over.  
Mottle blinked several times, catching her breath.  
Eve looked at Vanya as of she were mad.

Before anyone could speak, Mottle smiled, broadly. "I feel wonderful. What was that?"

Vanya shrugged; "A little something a friend showed to me. I coated the back of your throat with a resin powder that will help your nausea abate. Forgive me, I couldn't warn you, our instincts tell us to bite down or close our throats when we know its coming. That should see you right until we get to Vergen."

Mottle touched her hand fondly, in thanks.

Vanya stood to leave, and was about to climb back to the top deck when she remembered she wanted water. She walked into one of the rooms below, and filled her cup from the water barrel, pumping the cool water.

She drank a mouthful. As she turned to leave, she saw Iorveth standing in the doorway. He looked even taller than usual against the small frame of the ships doorways. She jumped, then relaxed. She was more jumpy than usual after...what had happened to her.

His green eye was glittering, much like her own. He seemed in good spirits, the best she had seen in fact. The rum, probably.

"You look happy." She said to him, smiling.

"Happy is a bit of a stretch. But, I am glad, we are on or way to Vergen at last. The Virgin awaits us. She will change everything. The battle is far from over, but the scoietael are ready."

"The virgin?"

"Saskia. She is the key, she will facilitate the means to acheive our goal. Her courage will lead upper Aedern to battle and will lead us to our freedom!"

There was that name again, Saskia. Iorveth seemed to respect her a great deal, and that made Vanya feel a little jealous.

But, if he respected her, she must be something very special indeed. She gave another smile, and raised her cup in a toast.

"To Saskia"

He said nothing, and walked towards her, slowly.  
He stood, close to her. She could smell rum on his, it was pleasant. Her back was now against the wall, looking up at him. He leaned close to her. Her heart was racing.

He reached across and took her cup from her hands, lifting it to his mouth to take a long swig to empty it.

"Tonight we celebrate. Down with Nilfgaard. We will finally take what we deserve."

She gave a little nod.

He dropped the cup purposely and it clattered to the floor.

He was right in front of her, close.

She could hear the soft creak of his leather glove as he raised a hand to her face. She almost lost her breath when he stroked a finger down her face, stopping at her lips.

She closed her eyes, just for a second, the feeling so gentle, it could have been a butterfly's wing.

Her eyes opened, and he was still staring at her intently. His face showed an intenswe, hungry gaze.

"I don't forget. When you first came to me, I believe you made me an offer. An offer, which at the time I refuted. Even the proudest Aen Saiede can admit when they were wrong."

He took one more step, now he was pressed against her, pinning her softly to the wall.

She almost gasped. This is what she had been dreaming of since she saw him standing in front of her that first time.

He spoke again, and she was glad - because so far she could think of nothing to say.

"You are beautiful, Aen Elle. Even I cannot deny myself the pleasure of you." He looked to the floor for a moment, as if he felt stupid for saying it.

That was what made her break.  
Seeing his face, she knew it had taken a lot for him to come to her.  
She finally understood his coldness.  
She had thought it was because he was too involved in his fight.  
He was, of course, but there was another reason, she could see it now in his down cast eyes.

_He felt undeserving._

She lifted her head, and gently kissed him. His mouth yielded to hers and she tasted the sweetness. He tasted like rum and honey. He seemed suprised at first, but he adapted in moments, pulling her against him. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other, propped against the wall behind her. She savoured every second, his breathing, which was steady and slow, and his lips, that were so soft they were almost feminine.  
As their kiss deepened, becoming more frantic, Iorveth tightened his grip and she felt him pressed against her. His body was hard like a wall of rock. She was responding to him, her body loosening in pure pleasure.

Then, they heard a shout from above. Dandelion.

"Iorveth my good elf! Bring up more rum! We have beautiful elven women up here in need of a drink!"

They heard the giggling from above.  
Iorveth, pulled away from her.

He put his hand to his mouth, as of he had been bitten.

"Stay where you are." He said, and turned and walked out.

She heard cheers, followed by music.

She waited. Her heart was still hammering and she could feel her own arousal. She felt warm and relaxed and happy. She couldn't wait for him to come back, her fists balled up at her sides.

She waited some more.  
Her breathing slowed and she tried to clear her thoughts. He had kissed her. And called her beautiful. She could burst with pride and pleasure.

She looked up, but still no sign. It had been some time now, and he hadnt returned. S

he didnt want to move, in case she missed out on him. She waited some more, sitting on the floor.

Above deck, the witcher had called Iorveth over to talk. They spoke of Lethlo, the impending war, Vergen, the Virgin.

Iorveth knew that he had left Vanya down stairs, but he would be damned if anyone knew of his private matters.

So, he sat down, his face showing nothing, and he spoke to Geralt, of the present, of the past, and of the future.

By the time the keg was dry and the music was over, Vanya, who had been waiting patiently downstairs, had drifted into a soft rum induced sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Vanya felt a light shaking on her shoulder and opened her eyes. Mottle was smiling down at her.

"Wake up sleepy head. We've docked for a while, by a river. We can wash and gather water and supplies."

Vanya's head was a little sore and she had fallen asleep awkwardly. "Too much rum" she said awkwardly and smiled at Mottle.

They stood, and made their way out of the boat. Vanya was running the kiss over and over in her mind.

She was wondering how he would act when he saw her.

She excused herself from Mottle, and went to brush her teeth with the crushed mint paste in her bag.

Then she ran a wooden comb through her hair, and pincher her cheeks for colour. That's better.

She came back on to the deck to find it empty except for Jarrod.

He beckoned her over to him. "Look Vanya! Have you ever seen so many fish? We will eat like kings!" His face shone with excitement as he peered down into the water.

"Where are the others?"

"Ashore. Iorveth, Zoltan and the witcher are gathering more supplies and weaponry. This will be out last stop before Vergen. Dandelion is probably in the inn, enjoying a hair of the dog, and the women are washing in the lake."

"Noel?"

"Gone with the other men in a scouting mission"

She stretched out, lifting her face to feel the sunlight.

There was a silence, then Jarrod spoke.

"It won't work with him, you know that deep down don't you?"

She snapped her head back to look at Jarrod in suprise. "What do you mean?"

"Iorveth."

She struggled for the right words, wondering wether to deny all knowledge or probe him further.

He started talking again; "Too much has come to pass. He knows nothing but suffering. We take our good moments when we can, but the cause, the fight, it's never far from his mind. He won't allow himself to be distracted. I have been under his command for a long time. I know him well."

She gave a slow nod, then looked him in the eye; "I remember speaking to Amale, by the fire, some days ago. She told me I wouldn't last a day, and that Iorveth would never include me in any of the scoia'teal plans. And yet, here I stand on this boat. It isn't my intention to steer him from his path."

Jarrod gave a snort of laughter. "You couldn't if you tried. Nobody tells him what to do."

She was starting to become irritated at the conversation. Mainly because she knew what Jarrod was saying was the truth, and it hurt her.

Did he know about the kiss? Doubtful. She changed the subject.

"Are we going to just stand here, or catch these fish for supper?" She gave him a playful poke in the ribs, and they began to hoist the net.

An hour passed, and Jarrod and Vanya had been hard at work, catching, scaling and gutting fish for supper.

Vanya stood and excused herself to wash in the river. She made her way off the boat, and walked the short distance through the trees, over some rocks and finally found the river, softly rushing through the rocks. It was a lot larger than she had expected. She looked around.

Jarrod had told her that she would be alone for hours yet, the others not expected back until dusk.

Mottle and Eve were gone, to town probably.

She wondered which town they were close to.

She pulled off her shoes and put her feet into the cool water.

It was warm out, and the cold felt refreshing on her skin.

She scanned for any movement in the trees but could see none.

She pulled her shirt over her head, removed her layers, and dived into the coolness.

It was bliss.

She hasn't been emerged in water for days. Of course, she had washed, but to feel it all over her was luxury. She grabbed her jasmine soap from the satchel sitting on the riverbank. Naiph had given her this soap some times ago as a present. It was made from the finest cows milk and was her favourite scent. She hoped Naiph and Cedric were safe after what had happened back in Flotsam. She lathered her hair, body and face, then dived back into the water, feeling refreshed, clean and invigourated.

* * *

Jarrod had been watching her guiltily. He didn't expect her to get totally naked! He was rooted to the spot, his eyes transfixed on her stunning form, her high round breasts, sculpted firm buttocks, the way her long wet, shining hair clung to her glistening body.

He was gazing intently, feeling the heat rising, his heat fluttering, when he felt someone grab him from behind and swing him to the floor.

He scrambled wildly, looking around, reaching for his bow.

Iorveth roughly spun him around and pushed him in the direction of the ship.

"_Fuck!" _mumbled Jarrod, feeling like a naughty child.

"Indeed. Did my order to _watch over the ship _fall on deaf ears? If we had lost that ship to bandits, you would not be standing here alive, do you understand? Stay focused Jarrod, or believe me, you will never enjoy another woman in your lifetime." Iorveth snarled.

He was pushing him constantly in the back as he spoke. They made their way back onto the ship. Jarrod was sullen and sulky as he continued preparing the fish.

Vanya was oblivious to this exchange as she dried in the sunshine.

* * *

She dressed, and made her way back to the boat.

Iorveth was stood at the bottom, waiting for her it seemed, his arms crossed. She almost smiled, happy that they would finally get to talk.

Her smile slid away as she saw his face.

"Do you have a death wish?" He said sarcastically.

"No. Of course not."

"Don't go off alone. If you get yourself into trouble, we cannot waste time running around saving you."

She was now, pissed off. "Since you all departed without waking me, I had no other escort available. Jarrod had to stay and watch the boat. If I get myself in trouble, I will deal with it. I don't expect anything from you."

She pushes past him and made her way below deck.

He stood, arms still folded, a little suprised by the exchange. Geralt appeared behind him.

"Your not exactly smooth. A polite request would have gone down better." He said, his voice low and quiet.

"Do not mock me Gwynnbleid." Iorveth flared.

Geralt eyed him over and asked; "Do you, like her?"

Iorveth looked at the ground, then back to Geralt.

"I can kill a man 6 ways using just my hands. But women?" he shook his head.

Geralt smiled at him a little. "I thought you had feelings for Saskia?"

Iorveth walked away a little, as if considering the words, then turned and walked back to Geralt.

"You will understand, when you meet her. She is not just an ordinary dohine."

There was nothing more to say. Geralt didnt want to pry into the elfs private affairs. As long as he stuck to his side of the bargain, they would be fine.

They both turned and made their way back onto the boat.

* * *

Vanya was sat below deck. She felt a little numb. Jarrod was right, Iorveth was not the kind of elf that you could batt your pretty eyes at and bed with ease. He was too hard to crack. Had she even tried?

Mottle came down the stairs to sit beside her.

"What troubles you Aen Elle?" she asked.

Vanya considered lying, but what was the point? "Iorveth." she admitted.

Mottle gave a knowing nod, as if she was expected it. She said nothing.

"I just wish he would let me in a little. I dont want to keep going on, but I have given up everything I know for him. I have been through experiences you wouldnt wish on your worst enemy, all for him. All to gain his respect. And for what? He isnt interested. He never will be. Not until he gets what he has been fighting for, and who knows when that will be."

Mottle gave Vanya a knowing smile. "Can I ask, what it is you seek from our fearless leader?"

Vanya considered this. She wasnt really sure how to answer.

Mottle pressed her. "Is it simply the act of wanton pleasure? Or do you seek his heart?"

Vanya coloured. Now she was on the road of truth, she may aswell stay on it.

"Both" she admitted, "Every since I met him, he has taken up all my thoughts. I find myself on a boat, sailing to a place I have never been, to fight for a women I know nothing of, all for him. Its like he has a spell over me."

Mottle gave a light laugh. "That sounds a lot like love.' She sighed and continued; "Im sure you wouldnt be the first to feel this way, Vanya. He commands, he takes charge, and he is cold like stone. But, there are times... when he is with his warriors, gearing for battle, or when he has been successful in a task... that you see a light shine out of him. His exterior drops and he is just one of us, fighting for what he belives in. When that happens, everyone wants to bask in his light. He is hope for all of us. Not just the scoia'teal, but elves who dream of a better world. He takes a great burden on his shoulders. Yes, he is brutal in his cause, but he does it all for the greater good."

Vanya nodded. She knew all this, but it didnt make it hurt less. She pouted a little; "He deserves some light, some happiness. I want to be the one to give it to him."

Mottle placed her hand on Vanyas. "Then he must choose you. You cannot force him. He will come to you if he desires. If not...then you must let go."

Vanya wanted to tell Mottle about the kiss, that he had already come to her, but she kept it quiet.

"Come now, I can smell cooking. Let us take over, the men will surely burn what could otherwise be delcious fish!"

They made their way to the top deck, and into the evening air.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day flashed by in a frustrating blur.

Iorveth spent most of his hours with Geralt, discussing many things of which she was not privy to - or alone, below deck.

Vanya spent most of her time with the other two women, laughing as she watched Dandelion flirting and larking around, playing rude music and reciting poetry.

She thought a lot about her kiss, but tried to put it to the back of her mind, as thinking of his lips & hands was too torturous to bear. He was polite with her, and spoke to her when he needed to, but overall, they stayed away from each other. There wasnt exactley anywhere private to go on a ship, and they had things to prepare before they reached Vergen.

On the final night, Vanya found herself in the company of Geralt again.

They spoke of many things, of something and nothing, of places they had been in common, and of what they were about to face in Vergen.

He told her all about his dealings in Flotsam, and what had happened to him before they had jumped the boat.

He even mentioned Cedric in passing, and at the mere sound of his name, Vanya`s eyes glittered with sadness.

Geralt noticed, immediatley.

"You were friends? Lovers?" he asked.

"We were friends. He was good to me. We bonded over our heritage and our connections with the forest. When I met Iorveth and decided to join him, I didnt get to say goodbye."

Geralt looked solemnly at the ground, then up at her.

"What? What is it?" she said, her heart falling.

"Cedric...he...died. In the forests. He was stabbed by the man I am persuing. Im sorry, Vanya."

Her eyes swam, and for once, she let the tears fall.

Iorveth was watching them from the other side of the ship. His arms were crossed and she could feel his gaze on her. She didnt care if he saw her cry.  
Her friend, her sweet, kind Cedric, was dead. She let the tears fall down, disgusted at herself that she never bid him farewell.

"He didnt suffer. He died in the forest among the trees, where he belonged." Geralt said, trying to comfort her.

She nodded, and brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath and composed herself.

Geralt was impressed with her strength of character.

One of the other men had told him in conversation about her brutal rape in Flotsam.  
Something had gone wrong on a routine meet with one of Iorveths contacts apparently. He didnt know the whole story.

She didnt know of course, but that was the reason the town had burned to ash. Iorveth had sent word to Margot, and she had revealed the identity of the man responsbile. Iorveth had ordered his throat cut, and his house burned with his family inside. Geralt didnt want to think about wether the man had children or not. But that was Iorveth. You hurt one of his own, you died, no questions, no mercy.

Geralt observed her as she stared out to the water, lost in thought. She was perfect, down to her ears. He had never seen a she-elf that looked like her. No wonder she was slowly driving Iorveth mad. Geralt gave himself a small smile thinking of it. The guy could kill, sure, but he went dopey around her.

She stood, and made her way down below deck.

Iorveth caught Geralts eye from the other side of the boat, a silent question; _Whats wrong with her?_

Geralt shook his head; _Leave her be, its not about you._

Iorveth nodded, and turned to face the water.

___

Vanya cried over her friend for an hour, letting herself go in privacy, mourning the loss. When she finally felt that she had no tears left, she said a silent prayer for him and promised to meet him where the apples blossomed.

She felt utterly miserable. Yes, she was travelling to places a new, away from Flotsam, which she had wanted for some time. The people where friendly and Iorveth was around, but she had been through so much recently that she was starting to doubt herself. She tried to be strong, all the time, she had to be, but sometimes she just wanted to cry.

She felt a fool, following Iorveth around the Pontar Valley, when he had shown no real interest in having her around, except a drunken kiss which was over before it started. She decided that she would depart from him in Vergen. There was no point her hanging around anymore.

She would find pastures anew, and let him go.


	10. Chapter 10

Once they finally docked in Vergen, she had told Zoltan of her plan to leave, due to the fact she felt lost - and Iorveth was giving her nothing.

They were sat in the inn at Vergen.

Iorveth had gone to attend to something or other, the others were off somewhere too, she didnt know where.

Zoltan and Vanya had ended up alone, drinking to pass the time.

"He hasnt even given me any orders. Everyone has a job to do but me. I feel like my presence is just pointless Zoltan."

Zoltan laughed, hard and loud.

"Anyone can see that hes got a stiffy for yer! He stares at yer like a daft shite whenever yer come near!"

Vanya laughed too. "Dont be so crude Zoltan! Honestly, your mouth is rougher than sand! Anyway, he doesnt, trust me, I know when a man wants me - I can usually see it in their eyes. I get none of the signals."

Zoltan slammed his beer down on the wooden table. "Then yer as much of a daft shite as he is! Give him a good bounce and do us all a favour. He walks around with a face like a sore arse!"

Vanya couldnt help but enjoy the dwarfs company. Crude, yes, but harmless, and if truth be told, he was really fun to be around.

Vanya yawned. She was still undecided wether to just make off into the night or stay and wait until morning. She was tired. She asked; "Where do we sleep around here anyway?"

Zoltan raised an eyebrow flirtatiously; "Aye, ye`d be the first lass I ever ploughed with elven ears, but ill let ya off since yar as pretty as the moon & stars."

She giggled. "Come on, I mean it. Do we have any plans?"

Zoltan shrugged and drained his Ale. "I suspect his lordship will have somewhere in mind. Im sure you will find out soon enough lass. I have friends I can bed down with, Id be happy ta bring ya along if ya like. If that doesnt tek ya fancy, theres a gathering of yar own kind on the outskirts of the city, a sort of, elf community."

Vanyas brow furrowed. Her own kind?

"Sorry lass, i didnt mean no harm by it. Force a` habit. Yer one of the gooduns, i know."

Vanya tapped him playfully on the head. "Come now, let us go and see the city. I have never been here before and wish to explore."

* * *

Iorveth was kneeling by the fire in Saskias quarters, listening to her instructions.

"When I annouce you, walk in strong. You have just as much right to be here as anyone. Dont let them intimidate you, look them all in the eye."

Iorveth raised an eyebrow at her. "You think me scared of them? I could kill them all without so much as blinking an eye."

Saskia smiled, "I know that Iorveth, but I need you all on the same side. Your diplomacy leaves a lot to be desired. Just let me talk, and you just stand behind me."

Iorveth stood to his feet. "Fine, whatever you want. You just better hope they keep their mouths in line, otherwise, I cant be held responsible for my actions."

Saskia shood her head. "That attitude will serve us well in battle, but not during the council. I mean it Iorveth, you must stay silent."

He nodded finally, albiet resentfully. He knew she was right.

"So, tell me, how did you manage to get to Vergen so fast? We werent expecting you so soon." she asked him.

"We stole a boat from Flotsam. I had help from a Witcher no less. Hes turning out to be a worthy ally. I just hope he stays that way."

Saskia frowned. "A Witcher? What business does he have in Vergen?"

"Its a long story. One I dont feel inclined to explain. Lets just say he wont be a problem for us."

Saskia gave a nod, and turned away from him, opening a chest to rifle through its contents.

"And what of you, Iorveth? I feel something has shifted in you. You seem...burdened.. heavier than usual."

He looked at the ground. Then stood tall and crossed his arms. "Nothing that will effect my ability to fight under your command."

She gave a laugh; "I dont doubt that for a moment. What troubles you?"

He shifted his gaze, then looked up at her. He wasnt sure how to say it. He had formed a bond with Saskia, they needed each other to further their own goals. He knew her secret, and decided that he could tell her his own.

"Theres...a woman. Shes new to our fight, and frankly I dont know what in the blue hell im doing. She came to me in Flotsam, joined our cause, for me, I expect more than anything. Since then, terrible things have happened to her, but shes stood strong and not once have I seen her cry about it. She has a fire in her."

He clenched his fists in frustration, : "Saskia, I cannot afford to fall for her. Its not who I am. I have a job to do here and Ill do it. I have promised myself to this war and Ill fight to the bitter end, crushing all in my path. But..." he trailed off.

Saskia walked towards him. "You have done much for me and the people of Vergen. You shouldnt deny yourself some joy. Plus, maybe it will stop the rumours about you and I."

Iorveth snarled; "Blo`ede rumours, I care none! You have my respect. Many dont understand it, but hang them! I came here to fight, and fight I will."

Saskia sat down on a chair. She tilted her head and looked at him intently.

"Do you trust this woman?"

He nodded. "She could have run after what happened to her. She could have betrayed us several times now. She is either stupid, which I very much doubt, or, I can trust her."

Saskia sighed. "We have a huge fight ahead of us. Take your pleasures where you can get them. It doesnt make you any less of a warrior. I know your capabilities."

He crossed his arms; "Hmm. We shall see. Ill be in the outskirts should you need anything. Ill see you at the council meeting."

She nodded, and he turned, and left the room.

* * *

Vanya was sat in a small stone house, by a crackling fire.

There were 3 dwarves sat around the table beside her. Zoltan and his two companions, playing dice.

Ale was flowing, but Vanya didnt feel like drinking. She wished someone would just tell her what was going on.

She sat, warming herself, the dwarves were joking with one another, and it made her feel happy to listen to them.

"Ya common bastard ye! Ya know that was a poor hand!"

"Fuck ya wife! Ive got ya by the balls now!"

They laughed heartily. She had no clue what they were talking about but, they were obviously close friends.

Zoltan turned to her, noticing she looked tired. "I best be off lads. Ill tek this one across the city. See what Iorveth wants ta' do wi her."

"I can make a guess!" said one of them with a smirk and a wink.

They all laughed and Vanya rolled her eyes. Zoltan stood from the table, and lead her across to the elven district.

Vanya was suprised by it. Vergen seemed to be a profitable city, with merchants, and inn and many inhabitants. This part of the city was makeshift, dirty, and the cries of babies and coughs of the elderly were everywhere. They walked across a wooden board over stagnant water. She wrinkled her nose.

Zoltan read her face. "Aye, its no palace, ill grant ye, but they do what they can with the limited supplies."

She was more than a little glad when they approached a stone building with a red door. She hoped she could sleep in here. She had enough of sleeping in caves, or on the bottom of a rocking boat, and was ready for a fire. The winter chill was beginning to bite at her bare arms. The door opened and two scoi`atael sat playing cards. They stood to attention.  
They relaxed when they recognised Vanya and Zoltan, sitting down and going back to their cards.

"Wheres shit fer brains?" said Zoltan.

One of them gave him a look of utter disgust and lightly touched his bow, as if he might use it. "If you mean Iorveth, ill tell you nothing dwarf. Go back to the mines, or better yet, your sow of a wife!"

His companion laughed.

Zoltan drew his axe from his belt. "Why ye little fucker!..."

Vanya waded in, she didnt want any more fighting.

"Stop it! Zoltan put that axe down, your not going to use it! Men, when will Iorveth return?"

They looked at Zoltan, then at her.

Their gaze softened a little on Vanyas face and they finally answered;

"He`s in Saskia`s quarters. He should be back any moment."

Vanya felt a bitter kick in her belly when she heard. _Would he be making love to her? _She couldnt help it, the thought just popped into her head.

"Very well. I will await here, Zoltan, return to your friends. Thank you, for escorting me here."

Zoltan nodded. "Bye lass. See they dont give yer no trouble, if they do"...he looked at the men and growled, putting a hand on his axe..."Ill be back"

She smiled at him, grateful for his sentiment.

She showed him out, and closed the door.

The men returned to their cards.

She took a seat on one of the makeshift beds on the floor. At least it was warm in here.

Then, the door opened, and Iorveth walked in, carrying a large bag which he dumped down in the corner. He looked at her and regarded her with a curt nod.

One of the men spoke to him; "_How did it go? Do you have a seat at the table?"_

Iorveth nodded. "_For all the good it will do me. The insolent dogs will fight over every scrap of the Pontar Valley. They do not yet realise war is inevitable. Saskia wants me to keep quiet."_

The man nodded, satisfied with this response.

Iorveth made his way over to her. She stood up.

"I...just wanted to get my orders from you." She said. "What do you want me to do? Or, shall I leave?"

He regarded her for a long moment. His face was impassive, as always. She couldnt tell what he was thinking.

The other two men, as if by telepathy, stood up and left the room.

He waited for the door to close behind them, and asked her; "What is it that you wish to do?"

She was thrown by the question; "What do I wish to do? Well, so far on this journey , Ive been given only scraps of information. I wish to know what we are doing here, and why you chose me to come on the boat and accompany you. You obviously do not want me for...your own needs." she said, a little brazenly.

He raised an eyebrow, so quick you would miss it in a blink. Then, he motioned for her to sit.

He talked. He told her almost everything.  
About the impending war, Hensalt, Lethlo`s betrayal, the witcher, everything.

She sat, listening intently.

Watching his face in the firelight, his cheekbones, sharp and prominent, his arms, strong and thick.  
When he gestured the leather made a creaking sound and she remembered the night on the boat. She shuddered inwardly thinking about it.  
She watched his mouth move, the way his words came out, slow and drawling and deliberate.  
Certain topics were tinged with a hateful tone, others, like Saskia, he spoke of fondly in a more gentle way.

She noticed he had 2 teeth missing where his scar met his face. You couldnt really tell unless you were close enough. She was suprised she hadnt seen it on the boat when he kissed her. The memory came up again and she flicked it away.

He finished talking. She swallowed.

"Thank you. Im glad I know."

"You have followed me here without question. That proves loyalty, a trait I admire." he said.

She couldnt help herself, words were forming and she had to ask them.

"Do you have feelings, for Saskia?"

He looked at the fire, considering his answer. Her heart stopped beating and a cold chill ran down her spine at the realisation that he might love another.

"I thought I did once. I know now that I love what she represents for our race, not the woman herself. She is our chance for a better world. Our chance for freedom. She understands what we have been through and wont sell out to the Nilfgaardians for a few coins. I respect and admire her bravery and courage, and I will do anything I can to assist her. But no, I do not have feelings for her, in that way."

She let herself breathe. He looked at her now. She wanted him to remove his bandana. She wanted to see his whole face, caress the scarring, and kiss him, and-

"And what of you? Now you know our plans, will you stay and fight?" he asked.

She didnt even have to think before replying; "Ill do whatever I can to support you and your cause. You know I will."

It was like they were the magic words he needed to hear to come to her.  
She knew it was coming this time. She could feel it, like falling off a cliff.

He leaned in and kissed her with a force that took her breath away. His mouth was on hers, and she let him take over. He was experienced, knew exactley where to probe his tongue to make her melt into him. She felt like if he didnt make love to her right now, she would just die.

They had been sat up, but now he pushed her down, onto her back. She let him. He moved so he was atop her.

His leatherclad hands ran down her arms, over her belly, and he grabbed her thigh, pushing it up so her leg was around his waist. She raised the other, so that both were wrapped around his waist. His hands flew to his belt, their mouths never breaking apart, as he jostled with the harnesses and all manner of other things that he had attached to him. He muttered a curse as he tried to lift his armour off. He finally managed to escape it, throwing it behind him, the metal hitting the stone floor and ringing like a bell.

She used her hands to loosen his belts, grabbing the material of his clothes and pushing it over his hips. There were so many layers, it was frustrating. She pulled at his gloves but they were fastened with what felt like 400 belts. She uttered a curse of her own.  
Finally, they came off, and after what felt like forever, he seemed to be free of most of his restrictive clothing. He wasnt naked, of course, and his bandana stayed on, but enough layers were removed to accomadate her needs.

He pulled her arms above her head, pinning them there with one of his hands, as he used the other to push up her skirts to her waist.  
This was to be hurried, they both knew they didnt have much time before the other men returned. She didnt care, she wanted him, she had wanted him for what seemed like an eternity.

Suddenly, his fingers found her, pushing her under garments to the side and entering her. He was gentle, which was to be expected. She wasnt sure if she would be ready after...what happened...bit she found herself to be more responsive than ever.

He groaned a little into her mouth as he felt her slick wetness. She responded in turn by reaching her hand down to find him, harder than stone. She grabbed him firmly, feeling the length of him in her hands, thick and long, like she knew he would be. She moved her hand along him, slowly at first, increasing her pace with his own fingers inside her. Then, he pulled himself away from her, withdrew his hands from her, and guided himself inside her, quickly and easily, slipping into her without any hesitation. He felt like he was designed to be there. That is soul purpose in life was to make love to this woman. She was hot, wet and tight.  
He groaned, the sound deep and carnal. She gasped as he entered her and he worried that she might be in pain. All notions of that were forgotten as she clawed him, pulling him deeper and panting in desperate pleasure.

He began to thrust into her, slowly at first, then quickening his pace as she pulled at him. He got faster, she gripped him and he felt her tighten around him as he slid in and out of her. She felt impossibly hot, and her gasps where urging him, faster and faster and faster. Finally, she squeezed his arm tightly with her fingers, and let out a soft moan into his ear, that pushed him over the edge.

He exploded with it, the sheer force of pleasure enough to strike him down dead. He emptied himself into her, and pressed his forehead against hers for a moment while the roar in his ears subsided.

Then, he pulled out of her. She felt a cold wrench like she was losing something that belonged to her. She sat up. Her eyes glassy and her face pink. She had never looked so utterly beautiful. He began to pull his clothes on, strapping his belts and pulling various layers on over his head. She did the same and dressed quickly.

It had been unspoken, but utterly perfect. They had made frantic, passionate love on the stone floor, no crooning or foreplay or sweet words, just hot, hard and fast.  
Exactly what they both needed. They dressed in comfortable silence. She was happier than she had ever been in her life. She could taste him all over. She wanted to sit here and savour this forever, but they knew they had to make a move, the others would be back soon.

She had got what she had been craving. It was like an opiate, she knew she was hooked. He stood up, and held a hand down to help her up, which she accepted.

He picked a piece of wayward straw from her hair and threw it away, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"I must leave you for a while." he said. "I have to attend a council meeting."

She gave a nod, still flushed. He gave her a kiss, quick and gentle.

Then he left.

The door closed behind him. She felt like she was in shock. She had just made love to the leader of the scoi`etael.

She sat down again, her legs felt wobbly.

She stared into the fire.

She replayed it over and over in her mind. It was very quick, she smiled. That made her happy, knowing that it had been a while since he had been with anyone else.

She knew then.

She knew, that after this night, her heart was bound to him forever.


	11. Chapter 11

The hours that followed were both heaven and hell for Vanya.

She lay, alone, by the firelight, a few scoi`etael sleeping around the room beside her. She could hear one of them softly snoring and the other tossing and turning in his straw bed. She was warm, and content, but she had the familiar ache that comes when you lose something precious.

She wanted more of him, and her body yearned for his closeness. Part of her was still in shock over what had happened. She didnt expect it at all. One minute she was considering leaving, the next, shes making frantic love with Iorveth himself.

She hugged herself inwardly, savouring it. She could still feel a pleasant throbbing from the length of him inside her. The feeling was welcome, she loved the reminder that he had been there. She heard one of the men coughing. She was never going to get any sleep. She didnt particularly care. She would wait here, for him, as long as it took.

* * *

At the sound of Saskias voice; "I give you, Iorveth" - he took his cue, and made his way into the room, sauntering with a confident stride.

He felt good. His body felt strong and he was relaxed in a way he hadnt felt in a long, long time.

He stood behind Saskia, arms folded, listening to the council protest and call him a murderer. He let it all go by him, his face remaining blank. Their words meant nothing, he knew that it was only Saskia`s opinion that mattered.

Saskia was addressing the room, talking of trust and honour, but he was only half listening, he will still in a state of shock over what he had just done less than 15 minutes ago. He could still feel her all over him. He wanted more of her. He had been quick, embarassingly so, he thought, and he wanted to show her that he was capable of so much more than that.

His mind drifted back to the present, and he tuned in to hear the others shouting in agreement.

It looked like Saskia was right - he was on board.

They raised their cups in a toast, and as Saskia raised the cup to her lips, she fell to the ground.

* * *

Vanya was trying her best not to be impatient.

The sun was rising in the sky, dawn was upon them, and she had spent the night alone, tossing and turning, waiting for the door to open and Iorveth to come back. It had been hours now.

She cleaned her face, and teeth, had a good wash, and brushed her hair. She changed into some clean and simple clothing, and applied her jasmin scent to her neck and wrists. She sat, deciding what she would do next.

Should she go and see Zoltan? Would he be in the council meeting?

Suddenly, the door flew open. It smacked against the stone wall, waking the other scoi`etael in a fit of noise and panic.

Vanya jumped, they all jumped.

Iorveth stormed in, his face a mask of pure rage.

Zoltan scuttled in after him, closing the door.

Vanyas back was against the wall, and she decided to stay there, and be out of the way for a moment.

"Its Saskia. Shes been poisoned. Magepain. She has hope, Phillipa has given us the ingredients for a cure, but its very close. Geralt is off gathering what we need now."

Iorveth pointed to the two men stood in front of him; "Go and stand outside Saskias quarters. No-one but Phillipa Eilhart may enter. I stress that with every fibre of my being. If you let anyone else pass, it wont just be me you`ll have to deal with, but a city full of angry peasants baying for your blood, and I will let them!"

They nodded, grabbed their weapons and ran out of the door.

He turned to Zoltan; "How much time did Geralt say he would need?"

Zoltan shrugged solemnly. "As long as it takes"

Iorveths fists were clenched to his sides, he looked like he would strike the sun from the sky. "_If she dies_..."

"She wont die. Shes strong like a bloody OX. Phillipa will make sure she lives." said Zoltan.

Vanya hadnt moved or said a word.

She was processing what Iorveth had said. Poisoned? Saskia? By whom?

He finally noticed her, all tenderness stripped from his gaze.

He spoke to her in a sarcastic and cruel tone that couldnt have been further from what she was expecting; _"What? Do you need something? Go and find something useful to do!"_

She grabbed her satchel, and wordlessly left, the door closing behind her.

Iorveth kicked at a nearby bucket in rage. It smashed against the side of the wall, and splintered into peices.

Zoltan winced at the sound. He then uttered a string of curses in his native language that Zoltan couldnt understand, but imagined were not pleasantries. Zoltan turned to face him. "I dont know what ya just said to the poor lass, but Ill bet it wasnt about the weather. She didnt deserve it."

Iorveth paced the room back and forth, then stopped, and stared at the fire. "I know, dwarf. But this is a time of war. I have no time for soft words or poetry, the situation is worse than I could have hoped for. We have Hensalts army marching toward us, and a Queen who we cant move for fear she will die!"

He shook his head in misery.

Zoltan took a seat by the door. He didnt want to argue. Iorveth was dangerous at the best of times, but Zoltan had never seen him as angry as this.

* * *

Vanya walked through the city of Vergen feeling like a fool. She didnt really blame Iorveth for his outburst. He was angry.

If Saskia died, the whole war, everything he was pinning his dreams on, would be for nought.

She felt sad at the way he spoke to her, but she was a strong woman, she could handle it.

She bumped into Elias as she made her way down the stone steps towards the inn.

She beamed at him, and he pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Vanya! Your here!" She laughed as he swung her in a circle, then placed her back onto the ground.

He continued; "I wasnt sure wether you would be coming. When we were given our orders to dispatch, I didnt get to hear where Iorveth was sending you. So! Your with us in Vergen. Keeping busy?"

She nodded; "Doing what I can. I came on the boat with Iorveth, Noel, Jarrod and the others."

Elias raised an eyebrow at this; "Hmmm, our captain keeps his treasure close to his chest by the looks of things."

She smiled at him. "Its good to see a friendly face. It feels like forever ago that I tended to your wounds in that cave."

Elias leaned against the wall, and yawned. "So, little Aen Elle, what are you doing? Talking a walk? I assume you have heard about Saskia?"

"Yes. I only got a brief version, but it doesnt look good. Lets just hope the witcher can get what he needs to save her."

Elias held out his arm for her to take. "Come, let me take you on a walk. I have no real orders from Iorveth, Im waiting for the witcher myself actually. We shall head out of the city and breathe some air, you look like you could use it."

She could use it. She wanted to be away from Vergen, and what had Iorveth said?

_Go and find something useful to do._

She took Elias by the arm, and they walked.

They made their way out of the stone gates, talking all the time. Elias had come over with 4 others, and they had only made it to Vergen on foot earlier that morning. He told her about the travel, the things they had seen. She listened, enjoying his stories. She told him of the boat, and the fires in Flotsam.

When they reached a river, Elias pulled off his shoes and put his feet in the water.

He turned to her; "So, any further movement with Iorveth?" he asked.

She coloured, and shook her head shyly.

Elias tilted his head to the side, smiling at her, menacingly. "_Youve fucked him, havnt you_?"

Vanyas smile fell. She didnt like his tone, or the crude choice of his words. "Its none of your business Elias! Stop it. Lets enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. Did I tell you, I -"

But her change of subject didnt work, Elias was persistant.

"You DID! I knew he wouldnt be able to resist you!" - he laughed, but it was tinged with a cruel jealousy.

She started to feel uncomfortable. This was going in a direction she didnt like. "Its none of your business." she said.

He held up his hands in mock surrender; "No, no, of course not. I would follow Iorveth to the end of the earth, im not judging. Im just shocked, it happened quicker than I thought it would. Hes been panting for you since you came to the cave that day. I suppose we all have!"

He waded out of the water and shook his feet dry. She said nothing.

He started to pull his boots back on and turned to her; "What is it about him? He`s scarred to hell, rude to you, and yet still manages to get the most beautiful elf that ive ever laid eyes on. I know hes a brilliant fighter, but is that what women like? What happened to poetry and sonnets?"

She sighed. She didnt have an answer for him. "Im sick of women, Vanya. You make love to them, pour your heart out, then they piss on you from a great height and break your fucking heart."

Vanya turned on her heel and began walking away. Elias had an issue with someone, and she wasnt about to get herself involved.

He chased her, pulling his other shoe on and staggering to catch up with her.

"Vanya! Wait, please! Im sorry! I...Im just..." - he sighed sadly - "why not me? I would have loved you with a fierceness so bright it would rival the flame. I would have loved you more than the moon itself, I would have-"

She raised her hand to his face and placed it on his cheek, stopping him.

"Elias, please. I cant deal with this. Im barely holding myself together. I think of you as my friend in this strange place. Please, dont do this."

He nodded. He smiled. It was no secret he had loved her from the moment he saw her.

But his loyalty to Iorveth was absolute, and she had made her choice, he would not push it.

"Come, Ill take you back to Vergen." he said. They silently made their way back.


	12. Chapter 12

After walking with Elias and turning him down, Vanya found herself exhausted.

She had hardly slept the night before, and it was already dusk by the time she made it back to the stone house in the Eleven Quarter.

She stopped to buy some herbs from the merchants, listening to them gossip.

_"I hear shes laying dead in her bed!"_

_"They think Prince Stennis done it to her!"_

_"The leader of the scoi`atael himself is guarding the door, he says he will kill anyone that comes close"_

She made her way to the door, and wondered if she should knock or just go inside. She chose the latter, and pushed the door open with and walked in with what she hoped was a confident stride. She couldnt have hoped for a better audience.

Iorveth stood, arms folded, staring into the fire, alone.

She closed the door softly behind her. Iorveth turned and looked at her. He gave her the tiniest of smiles, it was barely even there.

She understood what it meant; _Sorry about before._

She gave a nod of recognition and walked towards him.

"I have to gather some of our units from the East. We have no hope of winning this war, if most of our fighters are peasants armed with pitchforks and table knives."

She put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Why not send one of your men to gather them? Arnt you needed here?"

"The unit`s safe arrival in Vergen is of the utmost importance. I need to ensure they make it here, in one piece, and in time."

She leaned herself against him, and he uncrossed his arms to accomodate her. His arms hung by his sides, he didnt embrace her, just stood, looking into the fire, as still as a stone.

"I suppose you will insist on going alone?" she said.

He looked down at her. His cheeks looked more chiseled than usual. He looked tired

.  
"I must go alone. I cannot spare the men. I want to take you with me, id love nothing more than your company, but you will only slow me down."

She gave another nod. She wasnt offended, it was the truth. She would slow him down, she didnt have the experience that he did covering harsh terrain. Plus, if they ran into trouble, she wouldnt be much use with a bow or a sword.

He continued; "Saskia sleeps soundly now. Geralt thinks she has been cured. Eilhart finally did something right for once in her pathetic life."

"She will be alright?" Vanya asked. She was relieved.

"She seems to be. She has Gwynbledd to that for that. Without him I fear we would be having an entirley different conversation."

"Do you know who poisoned her?" Vanya asked, moving her body so that she was standing in front of him, her back against him, leaning onto him.

He shook his head. "I have my theories. Gwynbledd has his. I suppose we will find out in due course."

She reached her hands behind her, feeling for him. She rubbed at him, knowing where to touch a man to make him yours.

She could hear his breathing quicken a little, and she felt him harden beneath her hands. She worked her hands through the material, rubbing harder now, feeling his excitement growing.

"When do you go?" she said, her hands continuing their movements.

"Tonight" he said. His voice was deep.

She looked up at him, stunned; "Tonight? You cannot wait until the dawn?" - her hands had stopped.

He shook his head. "Vergen depends on it. Every hour I waste here is strengthening Hensalts army. I must depart tonight."

She felt her stomach clench. "When will you return?"

He grabbed her hands and returned them to where she had been rubbing him in an attempt to make her continue, but she let her hands drop.

He gave a frustrated sigh. "With any luck, before the battle begins. Otherwise we have no hope of winning."

She reached up to his face, and trailed her fingers over his chin, lips, and his scar. It felt soft under her fingertips. He looked down at the floor, then back up at her.

She wanted to cry with the injustice of it all.

The fact they had no time together. The fact she wanted to spend more time with him. The fact she couldnt join him. Everything.

She resumed the rubbing on his crotch with a vigour. "Do you have just a little time before you go..."

He did.

* * *

When she awoke, as always, he was gone.

The firelight crackled in the hearth and she wrapped a sheet of cloth around her naked body. The second time, had been nothing short of unbelievable.

They had made love for what seemed like hours, when she knew, really, it was hardly any time at all.

This time, they had been slower. Taking their time, peeling each layer off with deliberate care. He had been, softer, more gentle with her. Their lips hadnt broken apart for more than a moment, until the end when she had bitten her lip so hard she almost drew blood to stop herself from screaming in pure extacy.

He had kissed her body, all over, groaning at the beauty of it, stroking it with hands that were soft and careful.

She had removed his clothes, to find a body you would expect from a warrior of his stature. He had the body of a strong elven man. Muscle, solid, not an ounce gone to waste. He arms were thick and hard, his whole body was hard, like he was made of stone or diamond. Scars covered his body, differing in length, colour and severity. She kissed every single one.

He had pulled her on top of him, guiding her hips with his hands and pulling her down to kiss him. When he had finished, both of them panting in a sheen of sweat, he had lay with her, only for a few moments, but it was enough.

For him, a few moments was like hours. She had lay on his chest, listening to his slow breathing, smelling the forest on him, even though they hadnt been near a forest in days.

She had leaned up on an elbow to ask him a question, her large round breast free. His eyes were transfixed and it had made her laugh.

"Come now, you have seen a womans breasts before" she had teased.

He had responded by flipping her to her back, and putting his mouth on them.

She had closed her eyes, her hands on his skin, and had wanted to stay like that, forever. She had slept, a deep, deep sleep.

She started to rise, shuddering in pleasure thinking of it, and went to wash herself and dress. She knew it was the middle of the night, and she wasnt sure where every one else had got to but she didnt care. She was counting the hours until he returned to her.

* * *

The war was inevitable, and the days drew on. She hadnt seen Elias for days. She hoped it wasnt because of her.

The city was different, Hensalts assault was nearing and there was a gloom in the air.

Nobody sang at the inn, the streets were almost empty. The merchants had packed up and gone.

Barricades were being made to block entrances to certain areas, and eventually, the gates were closed.

She felt trapped and missed the forests and the trees. She longed to take a walk, but knew she couldnt.

The other members of the scoi`etael were busy carrying out order through the day.

She had come to realise now, that Iorveth had brought her to Vergen with him because he was attracted to her, and because he liked being around her, and wanted to make love to her. It wasnt about anything else. She hadnt seen it before but she knew it now.

She dropped the pretence that she was fighting for a cause, and just made peace with the fact she was in love with him, and just wanted to be near to him.

The other scoi`etael made no comment about it, they knew better. Their loyalty for Iorveth kept them civil to her, but she knew they were cautious about her.

They were already stretched thin as they tried to accept a human woman as their potential queen.

Now, Iorveth all of a sudden had a lover?

It was suprising to put it mildly, and she knew some of the other women were burning to ask her questions.

It was like she had unlocked a secret room and everyone wanted to know what it was like inside.

She found herself alone a lot, which she didnt mind. She liked being alone. She thought of Naiph sometimes, but it didnt hurt as much anymore. It was a wound that had healed over and scarred.

She hoped she was happy, and that she hadnt met the same fate in Flotsam as poor Cedric. It had only been a short time since she had wandered into the forest and met the scoi`etael, curious about their leader.

Now she was sitting in a stone house, miles away in Vergen, her breasts sore from the bites of Iorveths mouth. She knew she could never be without him now.

She was disturbed out of her daydreams by Zoltan, as he came bounding in with a huge pile of firewood.

"Aye, it`ll be just my luck to do my bastard back in just before the fight begins"

She smiled at him; "Fight? Dont you mean battle?"

He spat on the floor. "A battle is between two worthy sides. Hensalts army is great, sure enough, but the man himself is a peice of shite."

She went to help him with the wood, but he waved her away with a hand.

"Sit yaself down lass, this is no womans work!"

She put a pot on the stove to make him some warm leaf tea. It was his favourite.

"He`ll be back before ye know it. You`ll see." Zoltan said to her kindly. He could see she was pining for Iorveth.

She gave him a glum smile and she stoked the fire. "I know. I know that I am moping, and I hate myself for it. I just wish this was all over Zoltan."

"Aye, me too lassy, me too. But weve a long way to go yet. Iorveth made the best decision he has ever made, helping Saskia. It`ll be worth it in the end, youl see."

She steeped the tea leaves in the pot. "I hope your right Zoltan, I really do"


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days passed painfully slowly. Iorveth had departed to the east to gather the remaining units of the scoi`etael, and Vanya was left miserable. The thought that Iorveth would not return playing in her mind, and causing her stomach to twist in knots.

She passed her days helping the town prepare for the onslaught of King Hensalt`s army.

At night, she slept in Zoltans quarters by the fire, the dwarf snoring away in the bed across from her. She didnt mind, he made her feel safe. The news that Virgin of Aedern had been cured had spread, and the city was awash with relief.

She had actually seen Saskia one evening by complete chance. It was dusk, and she was walking through the city back to her quarters.

Saskia and 3 men were walking towards her in the other direction. She was prettier than Vanya expected, and she could see why people thought Iorveth might have feelings for her.

She was blonde, while Vanyas hair was dark.

She had brown eyes, wheras Vanyas were crystal blue.

She had a chiseled face, much like Iorveths, wheras Vanyas was fuller.

No, they were almost polar opposites. Their bodies were not much different. Vany smiled at that. Iorveth msut have had a hard time not staring at the virgins ample breast. They had regarded one another with a polite smile, and passed like ships in the night, and that was that. Vanya wondered how much she knew.

* * *

The clouds rolled across the sky, dark and foreboding. The day had finally came when Hensalts army decended into the Pontar Valley. When word got around, panic was in the air like a smoke. People were frantic, weapons were gathered and prayers murmered to the skies.

Iorveth had not yet returned, and many were doubting he would. She had even heard whispers that he had poisoned Saskia. She knew this to be untrue, but she feared for his saftey none the less. She had a knawing ball of fear in her stomach, hoping and praying he would return in time. The road to the East and back was littered with trouble. She shook her head, dislodging the thoughts. It wasnt helping to think this way.

The clouds rolled in, black as coal, a sign of what was to come.

The thunder rumbled from above, and rain poured down across the city, loud and hard.

Vanya had been ordered by one of the soliders towards the back of the city. In a tall stone building, behind several barricades, the women, children and elders were to stay safe. There was a passage running under the city to the mines, if Hensalts army broke the border and the fight was lost, they were told to make their way out to safety and flee. She was to tend to any whom needed it, and she was glad of the distraction.

From high above in the large stone tower, she had a view from an opening, and she could see the gates of Vergen closing.

She could actually see the whole city, a prime view of the carnage that was about to unfold.

She could see the army far off into the distance, and she watched as people ran around in the rain, the air thick with the anticipation of the impending battle.

A child was crying nearby, she bent down to smooth his hair. She crooned at him softly, stroking his tear streaked face. His mother was nowhere around. If you hadnt made it into the building by now, you were barred entry. His mother was probably frantic with worry. The boy sniffed and clung to her skirt tightly. She whispered to him, rocking him and comforting him, trying to sheild him from the shouts below.

* * *

Hours passed, and the battle was long and arduous, blood was spilt and many died.

To go into this battle in detail would be futile, as Iorveth was absent for most of it.

Vanya had finally lay the sleeping boy down, and had gone back to the window.

Hensalts army were climbing ladders up to the tops of the buildings, fast and thick, blood everywhere, men screaming.

Saskia`s numbers were dwindling and her heart raced in panic.

Suddenly, she saw him.

Iorveth was high above on a nearby building, walking, slowly, casually to the edge.

He brought his arm forward to signal, and 12 scoi`etael came from behind him, arrows drawn.

She watched, unable to take her eyes from Iorveth as he pushed his arm forward, signalling fire.

Arrows reigned down from above, slaying the kings men to bloody heaps on the floor. Their arrows were exact, precise and deadly.

A cheer rang out from below, she did not know where from, and he raised his arm again, signalling more arrows, as the men below started to flee.

The battle was showing signs of turning around, the gates were being closed behind Hensalt, she could feel the atmosphere changing, she could sense the tingle of hope in the air.

_He had returned. _

* * *

The rain was still falling, but softer now. It was washing away the blood and carnage from all around.

A crow called from high above one of the buildings. Vanya had no idea where to even begin.

Blood and body parts were strewn across the floor.

She was pretty sure she had seen an eye, detached from its owner, peering up at her from the ground. Was that a troll she could see walking off into the distance?

The barricades were taken down, and the women and children filtered out of the tower, running back to their homes, husbands and fathers. Some hugging in relief, others falling to the floor and wailing at the body of their loved ones.

The battle had raged in front of the gates, the stone walls providing cover from the rest of the city.

The inn, houses, and water wheel were all in perfect order. The result was better than any of them could have hoped.

She had been busy for the final moments of the battle. She knew Iorveth and the witcher had made their way to the mediation with Saskia.

They had one the first part of this war, and they were all feeling the fruits of their hard labour.

Vanya wished she could run to him, hold him, tell him she was so glad he had returned, kiss him all over - but she knew she could not. That was not his way.

She watched as Iorveth walked towards her. He had the witcher next to him, and he was talking to him in low, severe tones.

Vanya heared Geralt say something about Saskia, and something about a dragon.

Vanya knew immediatley. _Saskia was a dragon! _

Her face must have given it away, as Iorveth said; "I assume you have guessed. I wanted to tell you, but it was not my secret to tell."

"Im suprised, but not shocked. She survived Magepain. Even the stupidest of herb gatherers know that once you injest it, its instant death. I wondered how she managed to fight it for so long. I thought it might be due to the sorceress, but this is a better explanation. Im actually suprised at myself for not figuring it out sooner."

Iorveth started to explain; "Saskia`s mind is being controlled by Phillipa Eilhart, she used a rose of rememberance. They teleported to Loc Muhinne, where they attend the summit. That bitch is going to use Saskia as her puppet!"

Vanya scanned Iorveths face, a sinking feeling building inside her. "What can you do Iorveth? Even if you travel to Loc Muhinne, you cant battle a powerful sorceress with a dragon at her beck and call!"

Iorveth paced away from her, then turned and walked back again. He was pacing with frustration. She knew this wasnt an easy choice for him to make.

"I travel to Loc Muhinne tonight, with Gwynbledd. We need to attend the summit. We need to stop Eilhart, otherwise that bitch will have Saskia do her bidding. It will put the Pontar Valley in jeapordy again."

She shook her head at him in frustration.

"You cant be serious? Please tell me this is your terrible humour at work? Youve given your all, done everything possible to win this fight! You made a promise to Saskia and you have kept your word! What awaits you in Loc Muhinne, aside from death?"

He started at her, she could feel his anger building.

"Everything we have fought for today will be pointless if we do not rescue Saskia from Eilharts claws. We are fighting for freedom Vanya. I never promised you anything, I never told you that this would all end here, today. I travel to Loc Muhinne with Gwynbledd, we do, what we must do."

Vanyas eyes filled but she blinked the tears away. "Fine - go to Loc Muhinne. I will remain here for a few days to tend the wounded, then I will get a boat back to Flotsam. I cannot sit and wait for you anymore."

He shook his head, "Loredo will have already sold Flotsam to the highest bidder, if it isnt destroyed already. The inhabitants will probably come to Vergen if they have any sense. You should stay here. I will return when I have done what I need to do to help Saskia."

Vanyas eyes flashed angrily. 'Saskia, is a dragon. She might be able to take the form of a_ human_, but that is all. She will never be able to give you anything more than a dream of freedom. If you finally get it, and I stress the wordIF - it will only be a fraction of what your heart desires."

Iorveth seemed to take her anger in his stride, trying to calm himself. He had been expecting it.

They were both getting soaked in the rain, Vanyas hair sticking to her. He tried to push it from her face with a hand but she pushed his hand away.

She didnt care. She carried on, emotion spilling out of her in angry waves;

"I have just been a complete fool since we met! You just used me to scratch an itch, to further your own goal, as always! Its always the same with you! You are loyal in battle but in matters of the heart you are cold and cruel! You should never have let me stay with you! You should have sent me away!"

"ENOUGH!" Iorveth shouted at her, his anger finally bubbling to the surface and erupting. She jumped a little. " I did send you away remember? But you came back to me. I told you that I could give you nothing, but you persued me anyway! I have been honest with you from the start! I never said the journey ended here Vanya. There is much more to be done before I can lay down my sword!"

Vanya gave a cruel laugh. "You will _NEVER_ lay down your sword. When all is done, and you have your dream of freedom, you will continue to kill and fight and murder and spill blood because that is who you ARE!"

Iorveth shook his head at her is disgust, then crossed his arms. "_Then you do not know me at all. Va Fail, Aen Elle_."

He turned and walked away. The witcher was standing at the gates, and he signalled for Iorveth to follow him. They walked away, getting further and further.

The rain came down harder, soaking Vanya through as she stood watching him leave. She choked back a sob, turned on her heel, and ran back to her quarters.


	14. Chapter 14

They had travelled miles in silence, Iorveth`s mood a black cloud. Geralt had kept quiet, not wanting to antagonise him.

They talked a little of Phillipa, and how they would infiltrate the proceedings.

They battled the rain soaked valleys, until they reached the cold mountains.

As they walked in silence, the cold air biting at them, Geralt could see Iorveth was still deep in thought, his brow furrowed.

Geralt couldnt take his mood anymore.

He murmured in his deep voice;

"She seemed upset. Vanya, I mean. We could have stayed a little longer."

Iorveth kicked at a stone as he walked; "For what purpose Gwynbledd? Does one leave a knife in ones ribs, and pull it out later? No. It must be swift."

"We might not survive this Iorveth. She has given you her heart, and you dont seem to have given her anything in return."

"What do you want of me Gwynnbledd? We are already too far to turn back. What would be the point? We have a job to do. I made a commitment to Saskia, and I`ll not let her down."

Geralt shook his head. "Elves."

"What does that mean?"

"You are either in love with Saskia, which you have assured me, is not the case - or you use her as an excuse to distance yourself from Vanya. Which is it Elf? Are you a liar, or a coward?"

Iorveth gave a cruel scoff; "Neither. I am in love with neither of them. Saskia I respect for what she represents for my race, and Vanya...she is part of the scoi`etael, under my protection."

Geralt looked at Iorveth incredulously. "Vanya is no more scoi`etael than I am! You know she is more to you than that. Ive seen the way you look at her, the intense, misty gaze, the doe eyes."

Iorveth gave a sigh. "In truth, I dont know Geralt. I probably do love Vanya. I wouldnt know anymore...How do I find myself on this mountain side with you, talking of love?"

They both gave a laugh at the madness of the situation.

Geralt pressed him further. "I have loved and lost. The pain lessens but it doesnt go away. If you love her, dont fight it."

"Can we fight a war and love at the same time? I doubt it Gwynbledd. War has no room for prose. Vanya deserves more than I can offer her. Shes better of without me."

"Thats easier said than done. Telling a woman not to love you is like telling the sun not to shine. They are mysterious creatures. Have you made love to her?"

"Mind your own business! I have killed men for asking me less."

"Im serious Iorveth."

"Yes, Gwynbledd. Not that it matters either way."

"Of course it does. Shes bound to you now. Gods, you have a lot to learn about women."

"Well excuse me if I dont clamour for your teachings. Enough of this talk."

Geralt knew he loved her. He could feel it with every word Iorveth spoke. He couldnt understand what the Elf was fighting.

"Iorveth. Answer me this, and I will leave it be. What are you afraid of?"

Iroveth gave a sigh. "Geralt, I am the leader of the scoi`etael. I have killed too many to count. There is a price on my head in all the northern realms. I am a fighter, a warrior. Its what I do best. Can you imagine what might happen if my enemies knew I had a lover, or worse, a wife? She would be dead before the dawn. I tell you this only because I am indebted to you. You have gained my trust. But should anyone else find out? The information alone would be worth Vanyas life. I cant do that to her. I cant kill her."

"You will kill her anyway, torturing her like you are doing."

"Maybe so, but I would rather she be tortured by her own feelings than by the blade of one of my enemies."

"And when this is over? If we make it, and you return to Vergen? What then? Will you deny yourself love to protect her? She wont see it that way Iorveth, believe me."

"That that will be a bridge I cross when I get to it. Come now, I see harpies ahead!"

They spotted the harpies, drew their weapons, and set to work, descending into Loc Muhinne.

* * *

Vanya cried until she could cry no more.

She went to the inn, ordered several drinks, and sat, drinking them, ignoring the patrons around her.

The dwarfs had tried to comfort her, making jokes, but it was hollow.

She told nobody what troubled her.

As far as everyone knew Iorveth and Geralt had gone to join the summit at the Loc.

They had kept it a secret about Phillippa Eilharts spell, so as not to worry the townspeople. Vanya was alone in her misery.

Since meeting Iorveth all she had experienced was desperation, misery and pain. Yes, they had made love, twice, but was that worth the constant pain in her heart? Probably not. She swallowed her drink down.

Her eyes were more sparkly than usual, her face warm. She was enjoying the numbness.

She was going to leave, to make it back to her quarters and sleep it off, when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"I dont know, David! I suppose we could ask. Go and speak to the innkeeper, ill find us a seat."

_Naiph_.

Vanyas heart leaped into her mouth. She sat still as a statue.

She watched Naiph walk around, scanning the inn for a seat. Her red hair was pinned up messily on her head and her clothes were streaked with grime. She looked like she had been travelling.

She was also looking fatter in the bust...or what that Vanyas imagination?

She felt an urge to rush at her friend and hug her, but she didnt dare move.

Suddenly, Naiphs eyes met her own.

They stared at each other for an impossibly long time.

Then, without warning, Naiph broke into a huge grin and rushed over to pull Vanya into a hug. Vanya hugged her back, long and hard and tight.

She had never been happier to see a familiar face in all her life.

"I...Van...I..dont..how?.." the questions were spilling out of her mouth faster than she could process.

She held Vanya by the shoulders at arms length and looked her up and down.

"Still breathtakingly beautiful I see. But thinner. Youve lost some weight." - She frowned, then pulled her back into a hug.

Vanya laughed. David wandered over with 2 drinks. He looked suprised when he saw Vanya. His face turned from suprise to contempt.

Vanya knew that he would be angry. In fact, she expected to feel Naiphs own anger once the initial shock had subsided.

"Not dead then?" David said.

"David! Stop it!" Naiph hit him on the arm, then turned to look at Vanya, concern in her face. She started talking, her mouth moving quickly as she tried to get the words out.

"Did you...get yourself ..in trouble love? Is that why you fled? Cedric tracked you into the forest but then your trail just went cold. Then...he found your ribbon...on the banks of the dock in Lobinden. Blood everywhere and a tooth - we took it to a sorceress in the square and she did some weird magic spell on it and said it was yours. We thought you had died. Some said it was the Kayran, which is frankly, ridiculous. I thought Loredo might have you locked away...like he did with that other elf girl..." she started to cry.

Vanya stroked the tears away. "Shhh Naiph, its OK, its OK...dont cry.."

"Well? What happened then?" said David, obviously impatient.

"David, please!" said Naiph swatting him again.

"No Naiphy, Im sorry, but I want an explanation. I was the one picking you up off the floor when Cedric found that tooth!"

Vanya held up her hand to quiet them. She took a deep breath and motioned for them to sit down.

As the rain fell outside and soaked Vergen with its might, the fire crackled in the inn and the lamplight burned a soft glow.

Vanya sat, her drink clutched in both her hands, her eyes staring into the liquid in her cup with a fierce intensity.

She knew if she looked up, she would cry.

She told them everything, of Iorveth, the cave, the rape, the ship, the battle, and even Saskia, although she omitted the Dragon part.

The words spilled forth like water, she never stopped for a breath or looked up to see Naiphs reactions to the things she was saying. She missed out detial, instead just giving them the facts.

"and then, he left for Loc Muhinne, and...Im alone again. Then you came in." She finally raised her tear filled eyes and gave a weak smile.

She expected anger. She thought Naiph might even hit her. But she didnt. She looked devestated. She walked over to Vanyas side of the table and put an arm around her.

"You silly bugger. You should have just told me."

"But...your parents.."

"Yes, they died. They died because of an ongoing war between the races. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They didnt die personally at Iorveths hand. I miss them every day but I hold no grudges anymore. Vanya, I would have understood. I would have been angry, but I would have gotten over it in time. You cant help who you love. Mores the pity!" she joked, reaching out to hold Davids hand.

The relief that washed over Vanya was nothing short of heavenly. She cried then, letting the tears out and holding her friend and thanking every star above that she was forgiven.

The women talked until dawn. David had gone to bed hours before, but they stayed, sat at their table, sipping warm tea. Vanya told Naiph every detial. Everything she had been holding in for so long. About Iorveth, their lovemaking, her travels, the rape, everything. They had cried, until they laughed, until they cried.

Naiph told her of Flotsam, and the fires, and the guard whos home had been burned and his wife had perished inside. His throat had been slit and he had been hung across the front door like a christmas wreath.

"You dont think...it was the same guard..who..hurt you?" Naiph ventured.

"No, I doubt it. How would Iorveth know who he was?"

"He could have asked Margot?"

Vanya gave a shudder. "He did promise me the man responsible would die...and his family..but..."

Naiph looked grave. "It was that reason that Flotsam went into a riot, you know. Loredo thought it was a message from the non-humans and a fight broke out. Me and David managed to escape on one of the merchants boats."

They talked of other things, of nothing, of everything, of Cedric. And fianlly, Naiph had saved the best news til last: she was pregnant.

Finally, when the innkeeper came downstairs in the dawn light, the two girls were asleep, their heads resting on the table, hands entwined.


	15. Chapter 15

Vanya had opened her doors to Napih and David, and was enjoying their company and spending time with her friend again.

She felt like a weight had been lifted, but then replaced with a heavier one.

Yes, her friend was back in her life and all seemed to be forgiven, but now Iorveth was gone, and she didnt know if or when he might be coming back.

Naiph swept the floor by the hearth. "Stop it Naiph, take a seat by the fire. You are with child now. You need to relax."

Naiph gave a chuckle. "Im very early along Vanya, I can still hold a broom. Its going to take a long while to get used to being told what to do."

David chimed in "Yeah, well get used to it. No woman of mine will work while shes pregnant with my child, thats for true."

Naiph smiled, but it was tinged with a sadness; "I know you try to protect me my love, but these are dark times. We need every Oren we can lay our hands on with a little one on the way."

Davids face was set into a stubborn grimace. "We`ll manage. A dwarf last night said he might be able to sort me some work, since I know my way around an anvil. Reckons three of the towns best workmen dissapeared the other day. Fire still burning in the hearth! Odd - but it works in my favour."

Vanya listened to the two of them chatting easily and her heart ached.

Even if Iorveth returned to her safely, would he want to see her again after their fight?

Would he think she was too much trouble, selfish, and immature?

He said he had no feelings for Saskia, but has he followed her all the way to Loc Muhinne to save her, or because if she dies, their cause dies?

Even if they did end up together, would they ever have this kind of easy relationship that Naiph and David seemed to share?

Doubtful - It just wasnt Iorveths way. She couldnt imagine him doing anything other then fighting a war.

He wasnt the type to go out and get a job.

She almost laughed at the thought of Iorveth, fearless warrior, leader of the scoi`ateal, picking herbs or selling wares on the merchants lot.

She gave a sigh and sipped at her tea.

Naiph was looking at her, concern etched on her face; "I dont need to ask what troubles you. Its written in those blue eyes of yours. Oh Van, hes coming back. He will be safe."

Vanya gave another sigh, and fiddled with some bread on the table, trying to keep her hands busy. "I have been so incredibly selfish Naiph. I sent him on his way, full of rage." - tears brimmed in her eyes.

Naiph gave a sigh. She wasnt sure about their relationship - but she hated to see her friend in pain.

"Vanya, listen to me. You will acheive nothing moping about like this. Your beautiful, and young - I know what your going to say, but tough! Tonight, you will go to the inn and you will make some new friends. God only knows how long we will be staying here, I suggest you make the most of your time."

Naiphs voice was stern. No arguments.

Vanya opened her mouth in suprise, then said incredulously;

"Naiph! Do you mean to tell me if David were risking his life, trying to save another woman, and while he`s at it - bring back an entire race from the edge of destruction, you would go to the inn for a drink?"

Naiph raised an eyebrow.

* * *

At the inn, the sound of music rung through the room from Dandelions lute, the warm fire casting a glow across his face, flickering torchlight on the ajoining walls creating a dim and cosy atmosphere.

Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Peasants - everyone, sitting together, loud laughter, cheers, and conversations.

There was a smell of cooking meat and bread, and the tang of ale. The mood was bright and happy. The townspeople knew nothing of the struggles with Saskia, or the fact that Eilhart had poisoned her mind. Dandelion had been sent to keep them in high spirits before they became restless and started asking too many questions.

They had succeeded in a victory, and that alone was cause to celebrate most evenings.

Vanya stepped inside nervously.

Her eyes scanned the room for Zoltan, who she knew would be around here somewhere.

She spotted him, sat nearby Dandelion, listening to him play. He had a faraway look on his face.

All heads turned as she made her way over to Zoltan.

Naiph had spent a while curling Vanyas long hair and twisting blue wildflower through the shining chocolate locks. Her eyes sparkled like blue gems, her lips were pink and her face was glowing from the sunshine she had caught earlier in the day.

Naiph had given her one of her best dresses. "I was saving it for my wedding day, but ill not fit into it for a long while now, not with this little one making his or her entrance in the coming months!" she had laughed, patting her belly.

It was a beautiful pale blue with gold lace trim, a stunning soft silk that clung to her.

She approached Zoltan, and he broke into a huge smile, his voice booming; "Vanya lass! Why, yer look as pretty as a picture."

"Thank you." she accepted the compliment warmly and sat down beside him.

Zoltan slid her a drink across the table, as if he had been saving it for her.

She accepted it and took a sip. It tasted of blackberry and honey. _Like Iorveths mouth_. She pushed the memory away.

Dandelion finished his song and took a deep bow, to many clapping hands and shouts for an Encore. He played to the crowd, laughing and joking all the time. He finally broke free, and made his away over to their table.

"The crowd are rambunctious tonight! They almost-" he stopped short when he saw Vanya - "By the gods of all that is holy, look at you! You look amazing. Can I buy the lady a drink?"

Vanya laughed and raised her cup to show him she already had one.

Zoltan gave him a playful punch. "Go and play us another song before it gets rowdy in ere!"

Dandelion took Vanyas hand and kissed it lightly. He was being funny, she knew, but it was nice to receive it anyway. "Farewell beautiful maiden, until the stars align, and we meet again"

Zoltan pushed him towards the stool where his instrument lay. "You`ll be back in a minute you daft shite, off with ya!"

Dandelion made a mock- wounded face, then returned to his music, filling the air with song.

Zoltan turned to Vanya, a serious look on his face. "How ye doin lass?"

She shrugged. "What can I do? I just hope they are safe, but I know its nothing I can control."

Zoltan didnt look nervous. "Aye, he`s got a face on him like a fistful of thorns, but he knows his way around a bow. If anyone has a chance of succeeding, its that mad bastard."

Vanya gave a nod, and sipped at her drink.

"Am I being selfish Zoltan? Wanting him to stay with me? I know that more depends on him than I...but I feel, that with him, his fight will always take precedent over everything else."

Zoltan gave a slow nod, but he had a stern look about him. "And? Whats ye point?"

Vanya was slightly taken aback. "Well...how do you love someone when you always feel second best?"

He gave a patronising chuckle and drained his drink. He wiped his beard with the back of his hand and looked as her, as if she were a child.

"Lassy, this is bigger than you or I. This affects everyone. What did ye expect? Did ye want to lie in the flowers, fucking all day, while the non-human race perishes around ye?!"

Vanya was shocked at his words and stuttered for something to say. She was about to argue, but then paused. She could see what looked like a kind of anger, creeping into Zoltans eyes.

"Its plain on yer face that ye love him. But you canne` expect him to drop everything for ye!"

She thought for a moment, biting her lip and thinking about his words. She thought of the children she had met that day during the battle. Dwarven children, elven children. What would beome of them if the fight was lost?

She realised then.

She realised what Saskia and all that she stood for, meant to people like Zoltan. Dreams of a free Pontar Valley was a chance for not just the scoi`etael, but all of them. It wasnt just Iorveth who needed this, she realised. The outcomes of Loc Muhinne, would affect all around her. She fought back tears as she remembered what she had said to him in the rain. He had no choice, and yet she had still told him to make one. He had rebuked her, knowing this would happen, but she persued him anyway.

And now she finally understood.

Zoltans eyes softened a little, and he put his hand on hers. "Im sorry, lass. I didne' want to see ya cry."

She nodded, and gave him a smile to tell him it was OK. She felt a fool.

"Thank you. I suspect I have needed to hear this for a while." She managed.

She stood, grabbing both their empty cups to refill, and made her way to the innkeeper, her body moving slowly through the crowd.

Zoltan watched her long glossy hair as it tumbled down her back.

He thought of his own love, his own broken engagement, his broken dreams.

He shook his head sadly.

* * *

As legends go, the story of the events at Loc Muhinne, would be told around fires for many moons to come.

The actual events would be twisted and re-arranged according to its teller. Some people would tell you it was just, others, that it was a massacre.

But in this story, there is too much ground to cover, and there is too little time to tell it. It had been an arduous journey, filled with fighting, cunning plans, and a little more than luck. The important facts are thus; Saskia had eventually attacked, in her dragon form.

As has been mentioned before, this is the story of Iorveths heart, and not, the witchers adventures, but needless to say without the witcher, any attempts to resist Saskias firey reign would have been instant death.

Geralt had succeeded in not only reconciling with Triss, but also his promise to Iorveth.

Saskia was wounded, but alive.

Phillipa had escaped them. Her eyes had been ripped from her head, but she was still a danger at large.

And above all else, Iorveth found that Geralt was not just a worthy ally, but a friend.

As the sun began to set across the blood soaked stones at Loc Muhinne, Iorveth, Triss, and Geralt, walked slowly, their bodies exhausted from the experience.

As they made their way across the bridge, they knew it was time to part ways.

"Did you kill him? Letho?" Iorveth asked.

Geralt nodded. "I had to. I made a promise to someone that I would."

"The damage has been done, regardless. Nilfgaard will attack none the less. We are only at the beginning of this road, Geralt."

"I know. But I have other things I need to persue now. New goals."

Iorveth nodded. He had expected this and was not suprised. "Where do you go from here?" Iorveth asked.

Geralt sighed. "Now my name had been cleared, I have other...things... I must attend to."

He looked off into the distance, his eyes far away and bright.

Triss, stood behind him, wiping some blood from her mouth, shuffling from one foot to another, almost impatiently.

Iorveth gave a nod. "As you know, I must return to Vergen. Saskia will need all the help she can from her allies now. The Pontar Valley hangs in the balance. She must show the people she is well. If I do not return to assist her, all we have strived for could fall... I hope fate allows us to meet again, Gwynbledd"

"You can count on it, Elf."

Iroveth tapped Geralt on the arm and gave him a small smile.

There was nothing more to say.

Geralt caught Triss` eye and she smiled at him. She had blood on her lip, and she raised a hand to wipe it away in a self-concious motion.

Geralt felt himself warming inside as he looked at her.

He wasnt usually one to get involved in peoples personal love affairs, but he dediced to give Iorveth some parting advice.

'Iorveth. About what we spoke of, on the mountain..."

Iorveths eye flicked to Triss then back to Geralt. He obviously didnt want to discuss anything in front of her.

Geralt got the hint, and kept things vague; "Go to her, Iorveth."

Iorveth gave a nod, eager to drop the conversation.

They walked, out of Loc Muhinne, leaving the carnage behind, ready to go their separate ways, for now.


	16. Chapter 16

The weather grew colder, and with it, came the faint whispers of threatening snow.

Vanya was walking back from the merchants when she heard the shouting; "OPEN THE GATES! ITS SASKIA! SHE RETURNS!"

Vanya almost dropped her basket and stopped in her tracks. There was bustling around her as word began to spread like wildfire. People began to push past her towards the gates, excitment shining on their eager faces as they jostled for a glimpse. As far as many of the peasants were concerned, Saskia had been attending to a summit, to decide the fate of Vergen. Many did not know about the events that transpired. Vanya tried to turn, but there were too many people crowing her and she couldnt see.

She was pushed and jostled. She walked quickly, in the opposite direction. She would drop this basket and hurry back when the crowds thinned. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her palms began to sweat. Was Iorveth with her? Was he safe? And what of the summit?

Her feet began to quicken their pace as she hurried on.

* * *

Saskia had flown back to Vergen, alone. She had camped, high in the mountains nearby, until enough time had passed for her to return. Flying back too quickly would raise too many questions. Plus, her chest wound needed a couple of days to heal, and she needed a plan.

When the wind was biting and cold, she had arrived at Vergens gates alone. She had asked for everyone to gather by the gates at dusk.

She would address them all then, when she had everything straight in her mind. She closed the door to her quarters. She would have to address the people personally, and fast, but first, she needed to regain her composure and plan her words carefully. Her fists made little balls at her sides as she thought of Phillipa, but she quickly unclenched them, and shook her head.

What use was dwelling? She would meet Phillippa again, of that she was sure, but now was not the time nor place to waste thought on her.

She had a job to do. She took a long, cool drink from a water pale nearby.

She straightened her back, and took a deep breath.

* * *

"People of Vergen! I implore you to take heed of my words. I know many of you are unsure about the fate of the Aedirnian border! Today I will speak on it and you will wonder no more!" She shouted, confident, calm and collected.

"All Hail Queen Saskia!" - shouted a random peasant in the crowd. He was quickly stifled by the man standing beside him.

Saskia continued; "We fought a splendid army, and yes, we were victorious. But there is no time to rest on our laurels and bask in our victory. Our job is only half completed. I return from Loc Muhinne with news that is grave. We strive for a free Pontar Valley, and in order to acheive our goal, I ask you..."

Saskia continued her speech, enthralling the people, lighting their inner-fires and cajoling their spirits. She was a wonderful leader, and her people were loyal to her. As she spoke, all eyes were on her, there was a sense of calm, yet urgency in the air.

Vanya was watching Saskia as she spoke, intent on her face. She really was a sight to behold, and her ability to speak to the people was rivalled by none. She heard the chorus of cheers, but Saskia`s voice was becoming distorted from the fierce winter wind that whipped at Vanyas face and long hair. Vanya slid down off the high wall she had been perching on, to get a closer view. The crowd was a large one, and she tried to spot an easy pathway to the front, when she caught sight of something above her.

Standing, on one of the stone roof buildings above, was Iorveth. She blinked a few times to check. He wasnt looking at her, his gaze was fixed on Saskia.

He stood alone, no scoi`etael around him. She watched as he stood, arms folded, not moving. He was like a statue. The crowd cheered again. People began to jostle her, and she knew the speech must be over.

She saw Saskia`s retreating back as she walked up a path towards her quarters, Zoltan was on her left, another man on her right. She could see Saskias arms gesturing to the men in conversation as they walked away.

As the crowd thinned around her, Vanya raised her eyes again to the roof - but he was gone.

* * *

She returned to the house. Naiph and David were out, David probably putting extra hours at his new job in the smithy, Naiph tended to walk in the afternoons, as she liked the cold.

Vanya threw a log on the fire, and began to prep the iorn pot for dinner, when the door knocked.

One, sharp, purposeful, knock. She startled a little, and opened it.

He stood there, with a hand on the door frame. She smiled at him, but he didnt return it. Her smile fell. She was sheepish, sorry and embarrassed. She felt like she ought to be the first to speak, but he spoke first.

"Are you going to invite me in?"

She stepped aside, suddenly thankful that Naiph & David were out.

"Have you gone mute in my absence?" Iorveth asked coldly, scanning the room.

She was about to shake her head, but then decided against it.

She cleared her throat; "No..Im just glad to see you return safe, and that all seems to be well."

He looked at her with contempt. "All seems to be well?! Are you not aware of the situation? Do you no-"

She interuppted him, "I apologise, I didnt mean.. Im.. glad you are back alive."

Her voice sounded clear and shrill like a bell. She cringed inwardly.

He was still looking around. "Who`s home do we stand in?"

"One of Zoltans old friends. Apparently 3 smithies went missing some time ago, and nobody has seen them since. We have been told we can stay here, in their absence."

"We?" Iorveth raised his visable eyebrow.

"Me, and my two friends, Naiph and David, from Flotsam. They came to Vergen after Loredo finished selling it off."

He did nothing. She was suprised by this. The Iorveth she had first met would have recognised the names as dohine and probably started a tirade.

This Iorveth simply took it in his stride.

After all that had happened with the battle, the races uniting for a common goal, she guessed his hatred might not be so strong anymore. As he turned around to face her, his face looked disgusted.

_Or not_, she thought.

He began to speak, as if he were continuing a conversation.

"We were successful in some regards. Saskia is obviously alive - and that means the fight is not yet done. In other regards, well, lets just say we failed. Miserably."

He said the last word visciously and she wondered who had escaped his arrow.

"Will you tell me, what occured in Loc Muhinne?" her interest was not feigned.

She wanted the whole picture. What did he mean by 'Saskia is alive'? Why wouldnt she be? Her thoughts were muddled and she tried to order them.

"Fine. But not here. Come to my quarters, tonight. I will tell you all."

* * *

It turned out, that by "I will tell you all" - he meant that he would tell _everyone_. Not that he would tell _her_ all. She arrived with the anticipation of some time alone, so she could apologise, properly, for their arguement and her petulance.

She was later than she had expected, she had been waylaid with Naiph and her terrible pregnancy sickness. But - when she arrived, there were more than a dozen people in the room.

Scoi`etael, dwarves and humans. It was crowded and extra bodies made the room hot and frought. Iorveth stood leaning against a wall, he wore no bandana over his eye.

She gathered by everyones hushed tones, that whatever Iorveth was going to say, had been said already.

She made her way towards him.

"Youve missed the grand speech. Im afraid you will have to take short version of the story. Sit, I will tell you."

They sat on the stone floor, their backs to the wall.

Now everyone had their different orders and information, the room slowly began to empty.

She listened. When he had finished, he put his head back against the stone wall and closed his eye.

"So now Gwynbledd and Triss head East. And I made my way back here. Saskia beat me, but only by a short time. She took flight to Vergen then camped out in the mountains for a day or so, to avoid suspicion."

"And what will happen now, with Vergen?" Vanya asked.

"Saskia will figure out a worthy plan, of that I am sure. For now, we need to keep the people from speculating. Word will travel from Loc Muhinne. I meet her tommorrow to discuss. Now, I must rest."

She realised how tired he looked.

She stood to leave, and looking down at him, she said; "I am glad you returned safely. Im sorry for what I said to you. I know you fight, not for yourself, but for all. I understand that now."

His eye opened, but he said nothing.

"Let me know if there is anything I can do. I know I am no scoi'etael, but I will help any way I can."

He gave a short nod, and she left, closing the door softly behind her.


	17. Chapter 17

The sun was bright in the sky, yet it did nothing to take the chill from the stones of Vergen, as snow was still threatening to fall. Vanya stretched and threw another log onto the hearth. It blazed softly and she held her slender hands over the warmth, pulling her blanket over her shoulders. Naiph and David were asleep nearby, they had a curtain giving them some privacy that they had fashioned from some old cloth. She could hear Davids soft snoring. There was no openings in the stone, so she could not see outside, but she knew it was past dawn, as she could feel the sun was high in the sky.

The town was almost at a standstill, as the people awaited their next orders from Saskia. Since the meeting the night before, everyone seemed to be staying inside their homes, out of the cold, conserving their energy and supplies to whatever journey lay ahead of them. Vanya busied herself with some herbs and began to make a tea. She was thinking, about what would happen next. Iorveth & the squirrels were obviously bound to Saskia, the scoi'ateal didnt make loyalties lightly, she knew, and they would stay to the end, whatever that might be. She poured some tea into a cup and sipped, letting it warm her.

She felt useless, just sitting here. Naiph and David were effectivly refugees from Flotsam - all they needed to worry about was a warm bed, and a place to nest until the baby was born. Vanya on the other hand was here because of the scoi'ateal. Hadnt she come to help them? And what had she done so far? Delivered a letter to Iorveth from Margot, and gotten herself raped in the process. She shuddered. She was in one of those dark moods and she willed herself out of it. She decided she would venture out. There would be nobody around, the cold air would help her to think. She felt the room grow too warm, suddenly stifling her.

She shrugged the blanket off her shoulders, grabbed her cloak and stepped outside.

* * *

"If we cut them off across the Northern border, we can circle back around, and afront them - here." - Noel was drawing plans of attack in the dirt using a stick.

"And what of the archers? There is no cover for them." - Iorveth countered.

Noel stopped and tilted his head to the side. "Blo`ede. Your right. Damn, I nearly had it that time."

Iorveth stood and stretched. "Our limited numbers are only a disadvantage when we are in the open. Even one blindfolded scoi'ateal is worth 30 of their archers. It is the cover we are lacking. They will have more men, and that proves troublesome. Even a prize stallion can be taken down by several blind dogs."

Noel gave a nod. "Agreed. If we face them in open air, they will swarm us with their numbers. We need to find cover, but outside the walls of Vergen."

He scratched out his drawings with his foot and began to re-draw.

Iorveth walked to the other side of the room, and leaned against the wall. Zoltan was sat nearby, sharpening an axe blade on a piece of grindstone. The mood was tense, the air silent. They had won the battle of Vergen, but now? They awaited Saskias orders. Since Loc Muhinne things with Saskia had been a little strained. She seemed to be distancing herself slightly, and unnerved him. He trusted her, but he didnt like the thought that she might not return his favour since her battle with Geralt. There was a short snapping sound as the grindstone cracked under Zoltans blade.

"Damn ye bastard!" he shouted, throwing it to the ground. It made a clatter, and Noel looked at the dwarf, irritated.

Things were becoming tense. Iorveth crossed his arms, and continued to wait.

The door creaked open, and Vanya walked inside.

"Zoltan, I brought you-" she stopped in her tracks when she noticed Iorveth and Noel. Vanya lowered her cloak and closed the door behind her.

Zoltan cleared his throat. "Come in lass."

She gave a shy smile and handed him a grindstone. "You go through these stones like a warm knife through lard, I thought you might find it useful."

Zoltans face lit up as he took it from her. "Ya timin` is perfect!" He thanked her profusely, and continued sharpening his axe.

Noel was still scratching plans in the dirt, he didnt look up. She walked over to Iorveth.

"I assume Saskia has given no further orders?"

Iorveth nodded. "Not as yet. She has called a final council meeting at dusk, we should have our plan by then. The people grow restless, they want to know our next move."

Noel cursed from across the room and scratched the floor with his boot.

"Anything I can do to make myself useful?" Vanya offered.

"Not unless you can hit a man in the heart from 70 paces, with the wind bellowing against you." Iorveth said dryly.

Vanya gave a wry smile. "Aen Elle are not famous for their use of the bow. Although Im sure I could strike a man dead, if I wished to."

Noel scoffed. "If you want to be _really _useful, go and fetch us a queen crystal from the harpy lair"

Vanya turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "A queens crystal? Whatever do you need that for? Does Saskia require it?"

Zoltan piped up angrily before Noel could reply; "Shut ye damn dirty mouth! She will be ripped to shreds no sooner than breathin! Ye stupid shite!"

Noel gave another nasty chortle. "She asked what she could do to help...I merely answered her question!"

"Its a suicide mission, and ye know it! Bastard." Zoltan spat back.

Noel ignored him and returned to scratch in the dirt. Vanya looked at Iorveth for some clarification.

"A queens crystal is a rare and formidable crystal that sits under the grande queen harpies nest. One strand of the crystal fibres would make 1000 bows, all of which would slice a man in two, faster than you can blink your eye." Iorveth told her.

Zoltan spoke up, his eyes fixed angrily on Noel; "What the elf fails to tell you lass, is that gettin' one would be about as likely as slaying the Nilfgaardian army with a bastard feather duster!"

Iorveth spoke again, cutting off Zoltan before things got heated;

"The nest is located across the border. Even Gwynbledd couldnt get through it. A queens crystal would have been the best option for Saskia`s cure, but we settled for a dragons dream instead."

Noel piped up again excitedly; "Harpies wont touch her! No creature ever does! She wandered through the forest of Flotsam like she was visiting the market! She strokes Endregas like they are a bloody pet, remaining untouchable! Its -"

Vanya interuppted him, snapping harshly; "I wouldnt say I am untouchable Noel. I wager 50 orens that disgusting guard in Flotsam would tell you that I am quite the opposite!"

The room fell silent. Awkward tension seeped around them like a fog. Noel coloured a deep red and turned his back, his drawings suddenly becoming much more interesting.

"Enough of this." said Iorveth. "Vanya, you will not be assisting us in obtaining a crystal, nor will anyone. It is a fools mission, and you would do well to ignore it."

Vanya gave a nod of agreement.

"Well, if you think of anything I can do...You know where I am." she said, and turned and left, the door banging behind her.

* * *

Amale watched from above, as Vanya tied her long hair behind her with a ribbon and lifted her cloak, making her way to the stone gates.

The ladder the scoi`etael used to descend into the stone walkway below had been left propped against the wall.

The town was eerily quiet.

Soft snow had finally begun to fall, lightly touching Amale`s warm skin and making her shiver. She took a quick glance around.

She watched Vanya climb down the ladder. She dropped down to the stone walkway below, and quickly made her way out of Vergen.

Amale, was perched at the top of the wall, taking the third watch. Her instructions from Iorveth had been clear. _Nobody __in or out. _

Amale`s cruel mouth set into a thin line. Her green eyes glittered, as she considered her options.

She had seen the way Iorveth looked at her. Seen the way all the men looked at her. Amale couldnt see the attraction. She looked like a filthy dohine.

What use was she here anyway? She couldnt even fight! Just good for crushing herbs and rolling in the hay.

She was a weak link in the chain.

The men were too distracted around her.

Where was she even going?! She watched, as the beautiful Aen Elle, walked out of Vergen.

"_Good luck you stupid girl. You will need it_." She turned, and watched Vanya walk out of the city walls.

Amale took a quick look around, then made a sprinting run, and a graceful jump, across to the other side of the stone wall. She grabbed the ladder, pulling it from the ground quickly and efficently. She turned it on its side, and snapped it hard over her knee. It made a loud crack, and hurt like hell.

She stood still, here eyes scanning around. Listening. Nothing. She took the 2 pieces of broken ladder, and tossed it into the dwarven lava pit behind her. It bubbled and hissed as the wood was engulfed by the flame.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, she arced back across the gap between the wall, and was back at her post.

She wiped her palms on her green tunic. A minute passed, and her heart rate returned to normal.

Amale heard a shuffling, and Soriya, a dark haired elf with deep green eyes and cropped hair, walked back up a ramp from behind the wall.

"Sorry about that, Amale. Remind me to avoid that disgusting dwarven stew! My stomach is twisting like a knife. Did I miss anything out here?" she said, stamping her feet and shivering.

"No, nothing." said Amale, with a wicked smile. "Nothing at all."

* * *

Vanya made her way out of the walls of Vergen, very suprised at how easy it was.

She had expected to have to explain herself to the guards, or at least come back in the dead of night, under the cover of darkness. She guessed the snow made everyone want to be indoors. She knew Nilfgaard were not yet close to Upper Adeirn, but the danger was all around them.

She steeled herself, and took a deep breath.

"You are insane Vanya." she muttered to herself, but she knew deep down, that Noel was right.

If anyone could get the crystal, it would be her. She hadnt been attacked by any creature in her life, and she knew she had some kind of gift. She had never felt the need to question it or use it for her own gain, but now? She may aswell put it to good use. She tried to push Zoltans words out of her mind; i_ts a suicide mission._

If she could obtain this crystal...they could really win this battle. They had beaten the odds once before and she knew they were hanging by a thread.

By getting the crystal, every scoi`ateal would be armed with 1000 arrows each, made of the sharpest tipped fibre. One arrow could penetrate 4 men.

They would be one of the most powerful forces in the whole realm. What would that mean for Iorveth, for all of them?

She started to get excited, and calmed herself. "You have to survive first, stupid." she said to herself.

She scanned with her eyes for signs of trouble, keeping her knife against her thigh and praying she wouldnt need to use it. She pressed on, through the valley, through the twisting rocks, towards the harpy lair.

* * *

As the snow began to fall, it covered Vergen in a white blanket. Everything was crisp and clean. The town was silent, everyone gathered in their homes by the fire light. Naiph wrapped a sheet around her nakedness, and hit David lightly on the chest.

"Wake up. Vanya isnt back yet. Its starting to turn to dusk."

David gave a sleepy smile and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her back into the warmth of the bed.

"She will be with the Squirrel. Doing what weve been doing all afternoon, no doubt." he gave a lazy smile, but Naiph shrugged his arm away.

She bit her lip nervously and began to dress.

David sat up, suddenly angry; "I get a sense of deja-vu here. She often buggers off and leaves you to worry yourself sick. Ill not have it Naiph! Not when you carry my babe inside you."

Naiph released her lip. She plastered on a smile. "Im just being silly. Its only been a few hours. Come on, stoke a fire up. We will eat when she gets back."

David watched her busy herself, and shook his head.

* * *

It was dark now, the snow falling heavily from the sky. Iorveth was running over the plans with his unit inside their stone quarters. They stood, 5 scoi`ateal in the flickering firelight, looking down at the crude drawing in the dirt.

"We send the first unit across the border. Take numbers, and if you can pick any off early, without being seen - do it. I want you to-"

The door swung open, bringing in an icy blast of cold that made the fire flicker, and everyone turned to look.

There stood a human woman. Wearing a simple dress, she was chubby, with pink cheeks and wild red hair.

Some of the scoi`etael men visibly recoiled.

She closed the door behind her, and started babbling nervously. "I..didnt..forgive me, I wasnt sure..." she fussed with the fringe of her sleeve.

"Spit it out, Dohine! We have no time for this!" said Iorveth, eyeing her with a cold, hard stare.

"Its Vanya..I cant find her...Is she...here?"

A couple of the scoi`eatal sighed and huffed impatiently. Some rolled their eyes.

Amale shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Iorveth looked "She will be somewhere in Vergen. The gates are closed, nobody can get in or out. I have scoi'etael guarding the stone walk."

Naiph relaxed visibly.

"Now, get out!" shouted one of the others, and Naiph took her cue.

They made her nervous and she was glad to be out in the cold night air.

She made her way back to the house, hoping to see Vanya waiting there.


	18. Chapter 18

The snow fell from the branches above, shuffling the leaves to make a rustling sound. Vanya stopped and strained her ears to listen.

The wind was making it difficult to hear much of anything.

She knelt down and checked her map.

She had been very lucky with the sequence of events regarding the location of the lair. It was marked on one of Cecils maps. He didnt even hide them, it had been as simple as walking in to his home and taking it. She felt a little guilty, but it would be worth it in the end.

She wasn't too far away from where she would descend now. Soon she would reach a large rocky crag, which she would have to climb down in order to reach the mouth of a small river. From there, an hour walking, then down what looked like a large ravine, and she would be there. She pushed on, her feet crunching over the stone pebbles beneath her. A chill passed over her, and she shivered inwardly. She felt like there were many eyes on her. Her mind started whirling and she pulled herself back into line. "Focus Vanya." she whispered.

It was further than she thought. What had she expected? To grab the crystal and pop back to Vergen in time for supper? She cursed her stupidity and the first wave of doubts began to seep in.

She pushed them away.

_You had to take your chance while you could. The ladder was practically a sign. _She had a plan in her mind. A good plan, probably not, but a plan none the less. She knew she wouldn't be able to just walk in and grab the crystal. But she also knew, she would be able to make it to the lair without too much trouble, if her 100 years told her anything, it was that she had a gift with creatures and that she wouldn't be troubled by them.

She hoped. If she was, she had a knife sharp enough to slice air and a pouch full of smokedust that would provide some cover for her to run. She was considering bringing a bow, but knew it would be pointless. Any combat would be close range. She wiped her palms on her dress. She had been near to Harpies before and they had left her alone, but going in to their domain...well..what had Zoltan said?

A suicide mission.

* * *

Naiph was shivering, despite the fire roaring in the hearth beside her.

Iorveth was pacing the room, questioning her.

"I don't know! We were asleep...I" she broke down in tears and put her face in her hands.

It was midnight by now, the sky dark, and the snow still falling softly.

Iorveth had initially dismissed Naiph - until she ran back to his quarters after nightfall. She had scoured the entire town, even asking some of the dwarves to help her, but had not found her friend.

Iorveth had asked a few Scoi`etael to look for her around Vergen, assuming the dohines search to be useless, but when they came back empty handed, a small clutch of uncertainty began to grow in his chest.

He had called for Amale and Soriya, who had been on the watch.

They had both been adamant that nobody had been in or out.

And on it went. Iorveth had made his way to Vanyas quarters.

Naiph was inconsolable, and it annoyed him.

"Calm yourself, dohine." he had spat angrily.

Naiph blubbered out the story, but she had no real information he could use. He stood to leave.

"What are you going to do?" she had asked.

He ignored her, walking out and letting the door bang behind him.

* * *

Vanya scrambled down the ravine, cutting her leg and wincing silently as she felt the pain shoot through her. She grabbed the stone ledging and found her footing. Her shoe felt sticky inside. Probably her own blood.

It was starting to get dark now, the wind whistling, and stopped to listen again.

She heard a screetching sound, coming from far above her. She remained absolutely still until all was quiet again.

She was glad it had stopped snowing.

She moved her leg into the light. A small cut, but the blood had run down her leg into her shoe. She slowly began to pull her shoe off, and wiped the blood away and poured a little water over her foot, binding it quickly.

The night was cool and still. The ground was covered in a light frost. Vanya wasn't an expert at traversing difficult terrain, but she was better than any human.

She put her shoe back on, and slowly limped on.

* * *

Iorveth was stood, his armed braced on the wall in front of him. He looked down at the ground, calming himself.

He was in Saskias quarters, discussing the matter with her in private.

Saskia sat down at the nearby table, and rested her hands on the smooth wood.

"Iorveth, I have known you for some time, and I know you do not make your choices lightly. I will support what you decide, but I must put Vergen and the people first." she said.

Iorveth gave what sounded like a sigh. "You speak the truth, I know. My main concern is that our walls are not sufficiently guarded. If she has gotten out, it means there is a weak link in our armour, and that effects all of us. If she can get out without anyone noticing, then who can get in?"

Saskia eyed him knowingly. "Your main concern is for her welfare, and there is no shame in that. It is an admirable trait, and one you have developed more frequently since I have known you."

She gave him a slight smile, and continued, her tone becoming a little more solemn; "But know that I cannot spare you men, and I regret to advise it would be foolish for you to go out looking for her. I suspect she has gone of her own accord. You must treat this as you would any other absconding, and accept the choice she has made."

He gave a nod. "Your right, Saskia. If she is stupid enough to leave the walls of her own volition, then she must face what awaits her on the other side."

He straightened, the choice made, but Saskia could see that his decision pained him.

* * *

Zoltan was watching the two elven women playing dice. They were playing badly, but that was elves for you.

They had their talents, but dice was a dwarves game.

He watched her as she rolled, whispering with her friend.

He listened to them, their conversation drifting in and out;

"...when we swapped for second watch. Are you sure? I remember a ladder being there, yet it was gone when I came back. Amale this is important... Iorveth will tolerate lies."

The other elf snapped at her, slamming the dice down as they skittered over the stone floor.

She lowered her voice to a harsh whisper and changed to their native elven tongue. Her friend paled slightly, and Zoltan watched as she picked up the wayward dice, and returned to their game. They were both stony faced and the atmosphere fraught with tension.

He stood and left the room.

* * *

The 3 dwarves emerged hurriedly from the under passage of a large stone outcrop on the west side Vergen, and began to circle around. The scoi`etael didn't know of this secret passage, and the dwarves would keep it that way. They had to keep _some_ things to themselves.

Zoltan had rushed to the inn to pick up Skalen and Yarpin.

Vanyas dissapearance unnerved him, and seeing the two scoi'etael women earlier had made it all clear. They had to move quickly to catch up with her, she had hours in front of them.

But they knew she would stop to rest in the darkness, and they could use that to their advantage. They had snuck out, not wanting to alert the scoi`etael or anyone of their plans.

Not to mention the fact that Saskia had been pretty clear about wasting resources. But they had all come to like Vanya, especially Zoltan, who over the weeks had come to enjoy her company and considered her a friend. They would at least attempt to bring her back from this ridiculous mission she was planning.

"Come on! Move yer arses!" Zoltan whispered in his gruff voice.

The other two ignored him and the carried on, axes slung across them like another limb. The wind was picking up now, and it was dark, but they knew the terrain. Plus, the darkness and monsters were nothing they couldn't handle as a group. Provided they stepped carefully, moved quickly, and kept their eyes open, they would be able to traverse much ground with little trouble.

"I canne' believe she would be so bloody stupid!" Zoltan hissed.

"Aye, ill not lie, I thought she had a brain in that pretty little head of hers" replied Yarpen.

They hurried along, the moon guiding their way.

* * *

Iorveth was lying on the stone floor. He could hear the soft snoring of the men across the room, and the flickering of the embers as the fire lay glowing in the hearth. He stared up at the stone roof, his mind racing. His decision had been made. He wouldn't go after her. She had chosen to leave Vergen. Hadn't she? Why did she go? Where was she going to? His fists clenched at his sides and he cursed her under his breath for being so incredibly stupid and selfish. He didnt need this right now. Saskia was depending on him to assist her in rallying the people of Vergen. So much was dangling on the precipice of their victory, and Vanya chose _now_ to leave. It didn't make sense. He sat up slightly, eyeing his bow propped up against the stone wall beside him. Should he... No. He lay back down, and closed his eye.

* * *

The morning light was still blue as dawn approached. There was a chill in the air and Vanya shivered awake. She took a long drink of water, and brushed through her hair with her fingers. Stretching, she suddenly froze as she heard footsteps in the distance. She listened, tilting her head to try to zone in on the noise.

She stood, and scanned the ravine for a place to hide. The large grey stone rock had served well to protect her from the cold & monsters - but it wouldn't hide her very well from human eyes. She was about to jump up on top of it, when she recognised the drawl of a dwarven voice.

Not just any dwarf. _Zoltan_.

She picked up her satchel and started towards the voices. Pushing through a clearing of trees, she spotted them. 3 of them, walking quickly and with a purpose. They spotted her and Zoltan gave her a small smile, which then turned into a frown.

"Lice eat me! We finally found ye!" he bellowed.

The sun was now beginning to rise but the air was still chilled. Vanya pulled her cloak around her and regarded the approaching dwarves with bemusement.

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked cautiously.

"Never mind that! What are ye doing out here alone ye daft shite!" Yarpen barked.

Zoltan waved him away with a hand and his tone became more gentle; "Vanya, ill no` lie, I expected ta find yer in peices. What are ye thinkin leaving Vergen on ye own?"

She flushed slightly, embarrased, and shifted from foot to foot. "I..well..I was..." She didn't know what to say. She felt incredibly stupid saying it out loud.

Zoltan shook his head slowly. "Ye were going for the harpy crystal wernt ye?"

She nodded. "Im sorry...I know it was stupid of me but I have a gift."

He cut her off, his voice gruff and his tone angry. "NO! Ye cant. Ye dont know what yer getting into. Youll be killed. Its no' worth the risk."

She considered arguing with him, but decided against it. He had risked much to come looking for her, and she wasn't about to throw it back in his face. She gave a sigh.

Yarpen piped up; "Yer made an error, and underestimated yer opponent. No shame in that. But ye cant go wandering into a harpy layer, just coz ya think yer good with animals!"

Vanya gave a small smile. "Its more than that Yarpen. I dont ever get attacked by beasts. Ive come across harpies before and they dont seem to notice me. How do you think I even managed to get to Iorveth? I walked through the forests of Flotsam with no trouble at all."

Zoltan thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "Ye might have a gift, but ye cannot test it with a harpy queen. Please Vanya, come back to Vergen. Youll be killed."

Vanya sighed. She shrugged on her travel sack, and began to lead them back to Vergen.

"That easy?" Skalen asked cautiously.

She nodded. "That easy."

Zoltan smiled. "Thats a good lass. Come on, lets be on our way before anyone notices we are gone."

* * *

On the way back to Vergen, Vanya and the dwarves trudged silently. They had to move fast, before the sun rose high in the sky.

Zoltan tried to work out a story to explain her disappearance; "Say...say.. ye went walking and fainted."

Vanya looked at him incredulously.

He coloured slightly under her angry gaze. "Alright, not the best lie, but it'll satisfy most people."

Vanya was silent.

Yarpen gave her a smile. "Dont be embarrassed lassy. Yer not the only one whos thought to do something stupid and had to be rescued by their mates! Ive done it hundreds of times"

"Shame we couldn't rescue you from yer wife!" Skalen piped up, and they all began to laugh.

Vanya remained quiet.

She would let the dwarves banter amongst themselves.

When they got back to Vergen, they would see.

They would all see.

She tightened the belt on her travel sack, feeling the reasuring weight of the crystal.

She smiled, and kept walking.


End file.
